Student Spotlight
Hometown: Cedar Falls, Iowa
Major: Biology
Why did you choose Iowa State University?
I actually came to ISU because of their software engineering program. At the time, I wanted to work on development and improvement of brain-machine interface prosthetics as a career.
How did you become interested in your major?
I had always loved biology in high school but didn't know if I wanted that to fit into my career plans. As a software engineering major with interest in medical devices, I started working towards a biomedical engineering minor with the desire to further develop my skills in a semi-niche area. As I did that, the biology courses and labs I needed to take easily became my favorite, and it became obvious to me that software engineering just wasn't right for me. I've never once regretted changing my major to biology!
What are your current goals following graduation?
The long-term goal is to get into medical school. Before that, I want to get a job in healthcare, either working directly with patients or as a lab technician.
Campus Activities: Two of my favorite experiences at ISU have been amazing leadership opportunities. When I first switched majors, I applied to be a tutor with the ASC and tutored entry level chemistry and biology courses. Not only do I love teaching and helping others, but I also love talking about science! Learning how to put together study materials for tutoring not only helped me in my own academics, but it also taught me how to be flexible with learning. If my tutees didn't understand something one way, I learned that there were also a million other ways to explain it. That flexibility was probably the most important skill I learned while tutoring, both for me and my tutees. I also applied to be a peer mentor with the biology program very early on after I switched majors. As I was a COVID freshman, I didn't get the experience of having a learning community and only got to meet once with my peer mentor, and I wanted the chance to give other students what I never had. It was an incredibly fun and fulfilling job that meant so much to me. I learned so many different soft skills from these experiences. Not just how to work with other people, but also patience, flexibility, and planning (both events and tutoring) skills that I plan to take with me into medical school and my future career as a doctor.
Research experience: I was able to work in Dr. Don Sakaguchi's lab with mouse retinal progenitor cells (mRPCs). The project I spent time on was looking at transcranial magnetic stimulation as a potential driver of RPC differentiation, and more specifically, I worked on data collection with a group of several others. After each stimulation experiment was over, we treated the cells so that they could be visualized with a microscope and used fluorescent labeling to look for proteins present on the cells that would suggest differentiation (this was the part that I enjoyed most!). We also did cell counts for quantitative analysis of differentiation. Not only was the research experience good to put on a resume, but it also taught me the basics of working in a lab (including working in sterile environments, following new experimental procedures, and doing background research on current scientific knowledge) and just how much work really goes into doing good scientific research.
What are a few things you love about your major and department?
I love how supportive the faculty in my department are. The advising staff are some of the most fantastic people I know, and I will be grateful to them forever for helping me when I didn't know what I was doing with my (college) life. Thanks to them, I have a clear path of how I want to move forward.
How would you fill in the blank for high school students interested in your field?
“You’re going to love studying the sciences at Iowa State because ….”
...there are so many faculty who want to see you succeed. There was never a time where if I was putting in the work to succeed, there wasn't a professor willing to help me do it.
Do you have an example of how a professor or staff member has supported you at Iowa State?
When I was struggling with whether or not I wanted to change majors, the amazing advisors in the biology department met me halfway. I never felt pressured to make a decision for any reason; they genuinely wanted me to make the best choice for me. I was given time and patience and the opportunity for several chats about my fears, hopes, and goals. And turns out, biology was just too cool to turn down. Throughout my college career, they have always been willing to lend and ear to questions, concerns, or just the occasional "hi, how are you doing?". If it weren't for all of them, I wouldn't be where I am now. So, to everyone in 103 Bessey Hall, thank you for everything!
Last comments:
When I came to ISU, I never thought I would change my major. I had already written off biology in high school as something I didn't want to pursue professionally, and that very clearly didn't happen! Sometimes you realize along the way that you picked the wrong thing, and that's okay; you did the best with what you knew at the time.