- Area of Study Neurobiology
Class Year
Class of 2027
Where are you from?
New York
What is your favorite Biology or BMB course?
BI 315 Systems Physiology
What kind of research have you done?
I first became involved in research through a Parkinson’s disease case study on the effects of natural polyphenols on cognitive symptoms, conducted under the supervision of a physician, which ultimately led to a first authored publication. Before transferring to BU, I participated in Penn State’s FRI Research Labs, where I studied how manipulating oxygen gradients influenced the evolution of morphotypes in Pseudomonas fluorescens, and in a separate semester, conducted SNP research in a genetics lab. Currently at BU, I’m part of Dr. Shelley Russek’s neurobiology lab at BU School of Medicine, where I work under her PhD student’s guidance on projects investigating STAT3 signaling in hippocampal neurons using techniques such as dissections, Bradford assays, and Western blotting!
How did you get your research position?
Meeting with UROP and cold emailing Labs and applying through job postings, then going through interviews.
What extracurricular activities are you involved in?
Outside of class, I balance my passion for science with creative and community-driven work. I’m a PCA specializing in patients with degenerative diseases, and I’ve explored medicine through shadowing programs such as the Atlantis Fellowship (funded by the Provost Scholars Award), PreHealthShadowing, and SUNY/NYSOA collaborations. I love volunteering in BostonCares and I also tutor organic chemistry and AP psychology, and volunteer with PreHealthShadowing, where we just launched a book called Heroes Behind the Mask! Beyond medicine, I do art commissions and partner with small businesses in Boston that display my oil and acrylic pieces! I’m also involved in TTBU as well and am a general member in the PreMedical Society. On top of this, I am a Princeton Review Campus Ambassador for the Boston University campus!
What is your favorite dining spot on or around campus?
Mother Juice on Newbury Street
What is your favorite BU memory?
My favorite BU memory was the day we did saponification in Organic Chemistry II Lab and actually made soap. There was something oddly satisfying about taking all the ridiculous reactions we’d scribbled through on paper and watching them come together into this everyday thing you could actually hold in your hand. It smelled a little strange, and it definitely didn’t look like the soaps you’d see at Lush, but it was fun!
What’s one BU tip you wish you knew sooner?
I wish I knew sooner how fast Comm Ave can eat up your time between classes. A 10-minute walk sounds short until you’re dodging traffic, waiting at crosswalks, and sprinting with a coffee in hand. Building in buffer time has saved me more than once.
What are your post-graduation plans?
After graduation, my plan is to attend medical school, with the goal of pursuing a career as a surgeon. I’m especially interested in combining clinical practice with research, so I hope to pursue an MD/PhD, ideally focusing on translational neurobiology. I would like to move discoveries from the lab into treatments that actually reach patients.