Pronouns: She/her  

Graduation year: 2021  

Hometown: Memphis, TN  

Currently living in: Nashville, TN  

Current occupation: Graduate Student at Vanderbilt University  

What was your experience at CC like as an MB major?

As an MB major at CC, I really enjoyed having a close-knit, supportive community with my classmates and professors. I appreciated how the Block Plan allowed professors to design creative, fully immersive courses, especially the upper-level courses that invovled using cool techniques to answer interesting biological questions. In our Genomics course, we took a field trip to CU Boulder to have our samples undergo RNA sequencing and performed data analysis back at CC to understand a gene duplication event in a yeast species. Another course involved using fluorescence microscopy to investigate C. elegans development, which was fascinating. Each class was designed in such a way by MB professors to facilitate meaningful learning and discussion among students. Throughout the years, I could see myself growing as a student, as I gradually improved my literature reading and scientific writing skills.   

Why were you interested in focusing on MB as your major?  

My interest in MB was driven mainly by my curiosity about life at a molecular scale. This field was largely new to me, as I'm a First-Gen college student, and none of my family came from a science background. I was excited about all the new things I would learn and hopefully discover in the future!

How are you using your major in your post-CC life?

After CC, I joined a PREP program at the University of Rochester to further develop my laboratory skills and independence. The education I received as an MB major helped with my transition into a post-bac researcher and now a graduate student pursuing a PhD at Vanderbilt University. To this day, I still use the skills I learned as an MB major and CC grad to think and read critically, write thoughtfully, and present clearly to different audiences.