Degrees: B.S. Neuroscience and B.A. Latin
How did the Stamps Scholarship help shape your undergraduate experience?
Through Stamps, I was able to study abroad in Sicily and Greece, present my research at international conferences in Toronto and Washington DC, and have a community of scholars that truly transformed my college experience. I could not be more thankful for the impact that the Stamps Foundation has had on my life.
Knowing what you know now, what advice would you give your freshman self?
I’d advise myself to allow your experiences to shape you. Coming into college, I had some expectations of where I was going to take my life. But, through some great investment from Mercer, from Stamps, and from my mentor Dr. Northcutt, I was able to find another direction for my life that was much more suited for me, though it likely would have never crossed my mind without their advice.
Who has had the greatest impact on you throughout your college career and how so?
My research advisor and mentor, Dr. Northcutt, has definitely had the greatest impact on me. I started working with her at the beginning of my sophomore year, primarily to check off the box to go to medical school. But experiencing research firsthand and being able to present our work first to the Mercer community then to the international neuroscience community at the Society for Neuroscience meeting, I was able to realize that doing “basic science” was exciting, interesting, and most importantly, what I want to do with my life. Her graciousness to accept me into the lab and to work with me over the past three years has shown me where I want to take my life, and I cannot thank her enough for the investment she made in me.
What comes next?
I’ll be starting my PhD in Neuroscience at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai this fall.