Jishyra is a Project Manager for the Open Forum on Broadening Participation in STEM at AAAS. She holds a B.S in Biology from Antillean Adventist University and a PhD in Translational Biomedical Science from the University of Rochester. While at the University of Rochester, she was part of the Graduate Student Society, a Medical Center Ambassador and was the founder and president of the first Society for Advancement of Chicanos/Hispanics and Native Americans in Science (SACNAS) Chapter at the university.