Shannon Deskin grew up in South Orange County with parents who owned such pets as cats, dogs, horses, snakes, lizards and geckos. “We always had animals,” Deskin said of her childhood Mission Viejo...

When she entered California State University, Fullerton, in 2014, Vashtty Lemus dedicated herself to becoming a pediatrician because she loved science and wanted to help a lot of people. The lifelong...