Young scientist Alyssa Reynolds has noble ambitions

From the very first time her mother, Arlene Reynolds, read bedtime stories aloud, Alyssa Reynolds developed a love for words. Books became her first adventure, pulling her into the worlds of Nancy Drew and the Hardy Boys, which she and her sister collected to read in order.

"As far back as I can remember, I've always loved reading," Reynolds recalls. "It was always something that was a part of my life."

Yet even as she fell in love with literature, she grew to have another fascination, scientific research.

Science classes in prep school introduced her to the thrill of asking questions and seeking answers. Coupled with the influence of her father, Philip Reynolds, a scientist himself, she discovered that experimentation could be just as exciting as unravelling a mystery novel.

"I was always fascinated by how things worked," she says. "Doing experiments and research made me realise I really wanted to explore what makes things happen."

When it came time to choose her field of study at The University of the West Indies, Mona, Reynolds faced a crossroads with literature or science. Creative writing tugged at her heart, and she even pursued it briefly as a minor, but it was a high school expo on biochemical engineering that drew her decisively toward science.

"I realised biology was where my passion really was," she explains. "It felt like the perfect way to combine curiosity with impact."

Books remained a steady companion, and in ways she hadn't anticipated, they fuelled her success in the lab. Reynolds approaches research much like a thriller novel, breaking down pieces while never losing sight of the bigger picture.

"Sometimes when you're reading a mystery, you're putting the story together from small hints. That's exactly what I do in experiments, break it down step by step, then pull it all together."

Reynolds' resilience was put to the test during her university years when she failed a course that was required for her to complete her degree. The hiccup meant delaying graduation by a semester, a difficult blow. But she refused to let the setback define her.

"I had to sit with myself and accept it, then reset my mindset," she recalls. "I told myself, you failed once, but you don't have to fail again."

With determination, she retook the course, passed, and is now set to graduate.

That same drive carried into her internship at Red Stripe through the Brewing Success programme. There, Reynolds turned academic lessons into hands-on learning, exploring quality control, observing the brewing process, and connecting with professionals across logistics, marketing, and production.

"It was incredible to see how many moving parts come together to make something people enjoy," she reflects.

Beyond technical skills, she left with a lasting appreciation for collaboration and adaptability.

Looking ahead, Reynolds' ultimate goal is to make a groundbreaking discovery in microbiology, something so impactful it could win her a Nobel prize. It could be tackling antibiotic resistance or uncovering treatments for rare diseases, she hopes her work can change lives.

Both science and stories are ways of making sense of the world Reynolds sees. One fuels her creativity; the other, her curiosity. Together, they remind her to persist through setbacks and keep imagining possibilities.