Class of 2008 - Iowa State Alumna
Major: Genetics
Hometown: Ames, IA
Extracurricular Activities: WiSE Peer Mentor, Cyclone Aide

Do you have a favorite memory or meaningful experience from Iowa State?

I worked in Dr. Jeffrey Essner's lab doing research on fish while I was on campus. Over winter break my senior year, I actually made a discovery in the lab. I was screening fish and looking for a positive, which was a long shot. I was actually the one looking at the microscope and found the fish. I got to tell everyone to come look at it. It was really cool especially since they haven't found a positive yet.

What are your future plans?

I will be going to the University of Iowa Medical School in the fall of 2008. It feels like I am kind of going into my freshman year again. I just really don't know what I will be doing in medicine, but I am interested in human genetics, doing a specialty, and research so I want to practice and do research. I will be doing research at Iowa the summer of 2008 and will begin classes in August.

What activities were you involved in to help you prepare for medical school?

Well, I was really involved in the Freshman Honors programs and was a co-leader for that program, which was really great leadership experience. I was in the WiSE learning community and became a first-year peer mentor my sophomore year. I did that for two years, and then, I became one of the first WiSE second-year peer mentors. I had an internship at the University of Nebraska for two summers doing pancreatic cancer research. I also worked in Dr. Essner's fish lab at Iowa State. I do feel like the research and internships I did in college really helped prepare me for being admitted and doing well in medical school. I was also a Cyclone Aide for orientation and a STAR for the admissions office. I got to give campus tours and show new students around campus. Their enthusiasm really rubbed off on me during tours so that was a lot of fun. All around, I just really enjoyed my experience at Iowa State and have a lot of passion for what it is I want to do because of Iowa State.