Getting back on my feet
Presenting me with the opportunity to study abroad at Royal Holloway University of London helped me see first-hand how our country and its politics are seen and reacted to, from the outside looking in.
Hometown: Sayreville, N.J.
Academic focus: biological sciences major; geology minor
Proudest accomplishment at Mount Holyoke: I’m proudest of graduating with the class of 2018, despite struggling with missing a semester, and various health problems.
How a close connection with a faculty member has shaped you: Rachel Fink (chair of biological sciences and Ida and Marion Van Natta Professor of Biological Sciences) was incredibly helpful in getting me back on my feet once I came back after my injury, helping me get back on track, and academically up and running again.
I have also found great camaraderie and support, especially in the second half of my career at Mount Holyoke, within the geology department. Steve Dunn, Michelle Markley, Penny Taylor and Al Werner have all been incredible, helping shape my academic and career goals during my time here. They all also helped me have fun along the way as I explored and expanded my curiosity about the natural world.
Favorite course you thought you might not like: Introduction to Philosophy with Sam Mitchell (associate professor of philosophy). I am still disappointed that I never managed to get his Symbolic Logic class into my schedule.
Best takeaway from internship or research experiences: I am constantly impressed by the sheer amount of information that can be gathered or inferred from the study of something so small, and by puzzling out its place in the greater whole, something I encounter through the study of biology and geology.
How Mount Holyoke has shaped your global outlook: Presenting me with the opportunity to study abroad at Royal Holloway University of London helped me see first-hand how our country and its politics are seen and reacted to, from the outside looking in.
Future plans: I anticipate a return to formal academia for graduate school in biology, but hope that working for a year or two will give me an idea of where within this admittedly broad field I'd like to specialize.