Choosing Mount Union
I grew up 15 minutes down the road from Mount Union, but attending the university never crossed my mind for most of my high school career. It wasn’t until I partook in the Presidential Scholarship Competition that I knew that Mount was going to be the one for me. The campus was more beautiful than I expected, the student helpers were incredibly friendly, and the professors who interviewed me were passionate, knowledgeable, and seemed genuinely interested in me as a person (and, they ended up being two of my favorite professors throughout my 4 years at Mount). The Trustee Scholarship that I received definitely helped my decision-making, but after that first visit, Mount Union became a no-brainer of a choice for me.
A Place to Call Home
While I could probably write a book regarding my love for Mount Union, I’ll break it down into a few pieces: comfort, opportunity, and relationships. A great thing about Mount Union is that it is a comfortable and safe space for its students; this is reinforced by the fact that it’s tough to find a student who doesn’t call Mount their “home away from home.” With a small campus, a variety of buildings, and plenty of friendly faces, it’s hard not to find your niche at Mount Union. Another one of my favorite things about Mount was the abundant opportunity. There are extracurriculars for nearly any interest you may have, professors who are willing to mentor you in scientific research as early as freshman year, and class sizes that are small enough to allow your voice and your questions to be heard. Finally, as an alumni, what I love the most about Mount Union are the relationships that I walked away with. From professors and mentors who became friends, to my biochem pals that I still talk to daily, the life-long relationships that I formed while at Mount mean just as much to me as the degrees that I earned.
Pursuing Multiple Passions
Each of my three majors mean a lot to me, and they're all degrees that I am incredibly proud to have earned. I chose to study biochemistry and biology because I am a scientist through and through. The biochemistry and biology programs have more than prepared me for this next step of my life, and they made taking the MCAT and crossing pre-reqs off of the graduate school requirements list that much easier. I chose to study French because of the incredible professors and their dedication to their students, not to mentioned the amazing time that I had living and studying in Lyon, France!
Life-Changing Experiences
My favorite experiential learning opportunities that I had at Mount were studying abroad in Lyon, France and my research projects for both biochemistry and biology. Studying abroad gave me more than just strengthened French abilities; it allowed me to learn so much about myself that I don't believe I would have learned otherwise. I also visited some stunning places! Research is special to me because it's time allotted for me to be a real scientist. It's a time to be scientifically creative, to think deeply, and to gain valuable experience in a laboratory setting.
While my extracurriculars showed that I was involved during undergrad outside of the classroom, as well as able to juggle multiple responsibilities, I really feel it necessary to comment on how well the laboratories that I took while at Mount prepared me for my current career. As a biochemistry and biology student, there were countless labs that I took as part of my curriculum and research responsibilities. While these were enjoyable regardless of their impact, I never would have guessed how far they would get me. My supervisor was shocked how little she had to actually train me when I started, repeatedly commenting how I was already so far ahead with my laboratory techniques and understanding compared to those who had come before me. That is something that I can 100% attribute to my time in Mount Union laboratories.
Career Goals
I currently work for the University of Pittsburgh Division of Infectious Diseases, in the laboratory of John Mellors, M.D. I am the project lead on the quantitative viral outgrowth assay (QVOA) component of a multi-site clinical trial, DC-HIV04, which aims to determine if an autologous dendritic cell vaccine against HIV infection is safe and well-tolerated. Additionally, I assist on other molecular- and cellular-based projects relating to HIV and SARS-CoV-2.
I love the fact that my current position is a springboard for my future. After starting in this research lab, I quickly fell in love with the world of research. I decided that instead of medical school, I wanted to pursue a Ph.D. My lab is already setting me up for success in this realm, granting me invaluable research experience, connections, and opportunities to extend my education (for free!) as an employee of the University of Pittsburgh. I have already been offered authorship of an upcoming paper regarding the assay that I work with that will be published in a respected scientific journal, which I am incredibly excited about.
Right now my goal is to get my Ph.D. I’m not decided on what I’d like to do following that, whether it be research, academia, or something else, but I know that it’s a great starting place for my future.
Advice to Future Raiders
Place great importance on the student to staff ratio at a school, and ask around about the professors! I am constantly telling people that I wouldn't trade my years at Mount for the world, and besides the great education that I received, there are two main reasons for that. The first is the small class sizes that Mount offers. I loved that every single professor that I had knew me well by the end of the semester, and that I was never just another face in the crowd. The second reason is the faculty at Mount. I could write a book about just how much I adore our entire chemistry and biochemistry department at Mount, and I had professors in the biology and French departments that I will always cherish.