Check out Mandy’s Social handles & Publications below!

  1. Spectrochemical mapping with laser induced breakdown. (Spectroscopy as a more objective approach to shooting distance determination)
  2. Study of Transfer and Persistence of Glass in a Mock Kidnappying Case.
  3.  Infrared Imagining a Complementary Aid in Estimating Muzzle-toTarget Shooting Distance: An Application on Dark, Patterned and Bloody Sample.
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Mandy Ho

March 24th, 2021 | Written by: Daniel Blanc

A quote that makes me think of you...

“My father used to say ‘Don’t raise your voice, improve your argument.'” – Desmond Tutu

It was a warm afternoon on the fourth of July 2012. Myself and 2 other friends were walking on the boardwalk of the Coney Island Beach in Brooklyn New York. Nearby us stood a man with a box or 2  of pizza who seemed to have purchased than he could handle. I made a remark to one of my friends saying that I could really go for a slice at that moment; this was when the man heard us and offered to share his pizza with us. Mandy, who at that time stood not far from us, hearing and witnessing the whole exchange began to laugh out loud at us. This was one of my first memories meeting Mandy; not long after being introduced to and speaking to one another we exchanged social media contacts and spent a bulk of that evening and most evening after that talking about life, mysteries, and creepypastas. That is the type of individual that Mandy is: bold, witty, with a sharp mind, always knowing how to make those around her feel comfortable. She’s always been into mystery and true crime, and not just for the thrills, but because it helped her to become a critical thinker; one that doesn’t choose to believe one thing just because that is what everyone else does. Nevertheless, Mandy’s empathy for others makes her understanding and loving; the way she expresses this is by listening carefully, which isn’t the easiest skill to master. Mandy’s keen intellect led her to study Forensics at the West Virginia University where she engaged in various research groups, spoke at conferences, and worked frequently in a chemistry lab. While mixing compounds to create a Synthesis Reaction is certainly fascinating, Mandy also enjoyed on her spare time mixing ingredients together to prepare amazing, and honestly delicious, pastry (see the images below for reference). Knowing myself, when it comes to highlighting what makes Mandy amazing, I’d probably ramble for days; therefore, I wanted to have Mandy herself tell you all about herself and her journey.

Chai Latte Cupcakes
(Image is courtesy of Mandy Ho)

Strawberry Shortcake
(Image is courtesy of Mandy Ho)

I was born in New York, but moved to Puerto Rico soon after. I grew up in PR [and spent most of my adolescence there] where I learned to speak Spanish, English, and then Chinese at home. After moving back to New York for high school, I found out during my senior year that forensics was my calling. I’ve always loved science and of course all things true crime. I found forensics akin to solving a mystery via science and that had me burning for more. I went to WVU and double majored in biology and forensic science. I was blessed with the opportunity to join a forensic research group, help publish three articles, and present at conferences. I was very set on a lab-based forensic job (specifically bio) after graduating college. However, a part of me knew that a forensics bio job would’ve been fairly the same thing everyday. I’m the type to get bored easily if I follow the same cycle everyday because I think it leads to stagnancy. Being stagnant is the last thing I want to be. I crave knowledge and I crave learning more. Because of that, I figured pathology would be close enough to forensics that it doesn’t diverge too much but also far enough to keep me on my toes. I had shadowed a few autopsies during my internship at the Office of Chief Medical Examiner because of my previous interest in pathology and I found it super intriguing. So that’s where I’m at. I’m planning to pursue a pathologist’s assistant program within the next year and work in either a forensic pathology lab or a hospital pathology lab. I think this path gives me more options down the line and every body (like actual body) is different so I doubt I’d get bored that easily.

I’m usually very logical when it comes to deciding what the best course of action is. I work out the pros and cons of each action and see which one I can get the most out of. Coming out of college, there was a huge hiring freeze and I couldn’t get the job I wanted even though I had an interview set up. I had a whole plan where I would graduate and work for a year before I headed back for graduate school, but that plan got thrown off because life loves throwing curve balls at you. After the hiring freeze was finally lifted, the pandemic hit. Once again there was a lack of jobs so it was incredibly hard trying to find one. However, I didn’t stop sending out resumes even though I got ridiculously discouraged so many times. I felt useless for not having a job, living with my parents, and not being able to contribute much. I think that’s one of the toxic parts about capitalism – it kinda makes people feel like shit if they’re not constantly doing something. Logically I knew I couldn’t stop because that’s a for sure way to not get a job. I reminded myself to take it slow and be kind to myself. I don’t always have to be doing something even though that’s what I’m used to. Eventually I did get a job and I am currently working as a Laboratory Microbiologist II for the Department of Health!

Responses From Mandy

What is the first thing that comes to mind when you think of “Equity” and why?

“Immediately I think of the picture of the bent apple tree with the two kids trying to reach the apples because it has been one of the best representations I have seen. Equity can be confused with equality but they are not the same thing. Equality is everyone being treated the same, having access to the same resources/opportunities, etc no matter your gender, race, class, sexual orientation. In the tree example, the two kids would have the same-sized ladder to represent equality even though the tree is bent more towards one of the kids since there are more apples on that side. Equity, on the other hand, is understanding that privilege exists and provides additional resources/opportunities for the less privileged to get to the same point as others. In the tree example, the kid opposite from where the tree bends will receive a longer ladder.” – Mandy

Has there ever been a point in your life where you felt you had to prove yourself, or work harder than those around you? How did you tackle that event?

“There has been multiple times in my life where I felt like I had to try harder than I usually do and prove myself, whether that’s to myself or to others. I don’t like the idea of thinking I’m working harder than those around me because that assumes no one else is working as hard as me. They might just be working as hard as they can in their own way under their own circumstances. One time where I felt like I had to prove myself was during my internship at the Office of Chief Medical Examiner. There were a few other interns who either had a masters or went to a more prestigious school than I did. I felt like I had to prove myself to me and my supervisor. I wanted to make it noticeable that I was proactive and wanted to get as much as I could at my internship, that I can apply what I learned from classes to what I can do at the internship. I was mentally competing with the other interns because I felt like they had a lead and I wanted to be ahead.” – Mandy

Women honestly deserves more than just a day or month out of the whole year to receive recognition, love and support. In what ways do you believe society can perpetually and proactively acknowledge and encourage women?

“I think one way is through representation and portrayal of women in the media. A lot of times women are portrayed as the damsel in distress who needs prince charming to come and save them. I think there has to be more “strong female leads” where they don’t need a guy to help out. A horror movie where the guy doesn’t have to come save the girl. A romance movie where the girl chooses herself instead of finding her way back to a guy. Stop romanticizing the need for a man to come save a woman.
Another extremely important way is to actively condemn and call out when people harass women with sexist, misogynistic comments. Part of the problem is other people being complicit when they witness such behaviors. This ends up encouraging the perpetrator by making it seem like it is okay to say certain things or act a certain way. So many women have walked home scared, held their keys between their fingers, took out their headphones while walking home alone, pretended to be on the phone, actually being on the phone, just to avoid men and what they may do on the street. One should not blame or question women for men’s actions either. Ex: Terms like “violence against women” seem to focus on the women but it doesn’t focus on the people who were actually violent.” – Mandy

Chatting with Mandy

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