My Journey from High School to PhD
Sometime in the Fall of 2013, as a high school freshman, I had dreams of becoming a veterinarian. I attended a college preparatory school, so determining what major and school to choose were hot topics from day one. I knew from elementary school that I wanted to take care of animals, so I explored possible majors for a strong vet school application. This moment was my introduction to biomedical engineering. My first thought when learning about the field? “I can make prosthetics for animals?!” In that instant, my entire path changed. No more vet school - I would major in biomedical engineering, eventually pursue a PhD, and design mobility aids for animals.
Obviously, a 14-year-old me did not know what is actually possible in biomedical engineering. I matured, learned more about the health conditions within my family, and figured I could develop treatments or cures for the same ailments plaguing my family. So you know, my grandmother was born with a severely underdeveloped heart, my dad has an extra electrical pathway in his heart; and several of my relatives have or will need knee replacements (eventually including me). Well, creating an artificial heart or designing orthopedic devices requires mechanical knowledge.
Applying for college was a simple process for me - I had only three targets. Lewis University: a school from which I grew up 5 minutes and awarded me fee and essay waivers. A good, safe back-up school. Purdue University: a school where I attended several Women/Girls in Engineering events to learn more about studying STEM. But it was out-of-state and the students were arrogant. Bradley University: my top choice, about two hours from home, with a program of mechanical engineering with a concentration in biomedical engineering. While I was accepted into all three, my scholarship offers varied greatly. Purdue provided a medium scholarship but no entry into the honors college. Bradley gave a bit more financial support but would still require a good amount of student loans. Then there was Lewis: financial aid to cover almost three-fourths of tuition and no need for room-and-board. Lewis had one caveat...
School would take five years and require dual enrollment with Illinois Institute of Technology. My majors would be physics at Lewis and mechanical engineering at IIT. However, I would graduate with no student loans. Well, financial support and location made my decision very easy. While my path to becoming a biomedical engineer was slightly delayed, I knew I would get there eventually, and an extended background in mechanics would set me up nicely to develop biomedical devices.
Attending Lewis University was one of the best opportunities in my life. Even though I was in a physics department, I had several opportunities that I feel I would not have gotten elsewhere. I began research at the end of my first semester. Not only did I join a lab, but I also started a project from scratch. I was also recruited for a research competition team during that first year, too. Eventually, I was even granted a TA position to assist in lower-level labs. I began TAing in the Fall of 2018, which is the same semester I also became a tutor at Lewis’s writing center. In that role, I earned a top student worker award, developed writing and tutoring resources, and led the marketing committee. I gained a wide range of skills and professional relationships that only a small-to-medium-sized primarily undergraduate university with small science departments could provide.
My transition to IIT to begin my mechanical engineering courses was not as easy. My first semester at the new school was Spring 2020 - when COVID-19 hit. I was immediately thrown into a fully remote education and had a pass/fail grading system forced upon me. Even after that first semester, I had only online classes for the 2020-2021 school year. Many of the professors did not adapt to the new learning environment, and I think I received a lousy education in mechanical engineering due to the constraints.
My final year of MechE was in-person, and my studies did improve. With my dual enrollment, I did try to take general biology at Lewis, but I could not receive the accommodations I needed due to my limited time on that campus. I did survive, however, and graduated Magna Cum Laude. I also received the Senior Physics Award from Lewis due to my dedication to my studies, the department, outreach, and additional involvement on campus. After completing my undergraduate studies, I was preparing to move to a PhD program. But that story requires us to rewind.
In the fall of my final year of undergrad, I was preparing applications for PhD programs. The previous summer, I took the GRE and made my list of schools. I applied to a total of ten universities. I received two direct lab entries at only one of them. However, I did receive interest from two other schools.
First, I was in contact with a professor at School X. I will not name the school nor the professor as I do not intend to harm reputation. I met with the professor’s current post-docs over Zoom, and then I met with the professor directly on Zoom. We intended to have one final meeting, but they did not show. Afterward, they emailed me stating we had not finalized the meeting, even though it seemed very clear to me that we had. I determined if they treated me with this level of discernment while trying to recruit me, it would not be the best mentor relationship for me.
I also received an unofficial offer from a PI at IIT. I was in a class of theirs, and they recognized my name on an application. They hadn’t planned on recruiting, so they did not have funding secured for a new student. I toured their lab and met with their students, and I loved the environment. However, they would not have an answer about funding by decision day, so I needed to choose one of my direct offers.
Well, we conclude with me accepting one of my offers to Penn State, but even that story is not straight forward. I was contacted by Professor A shortly after applications were due, and we scheduled a Zoom call. It went well, and I was invited for the in-person recruitment weekend. I learned during my visit that I had received a direct offer into Professor A’s lab. They were not in town during the visit, so I only met with their trainees, but everyone seemed nice. I did hear some concerning tales from students outside the lab, but I didn’t think twice about it at the time. Fast forward to about three weeks before decision day. My inbox has a new email from a second professor at Penn State. Dr. Spencer Szczesny hadn’t seen my application initially, but to be fair, he wasn’t on my radar either. We quickly arranged a one-on-one meeting and a second meeting for me to talk with two of his students. Between the lab’s research and the lab environment, I knew this was the best fit for me.
I have now survived to my fifth-year and will defend next Fall. Getting to my PhD took a while, but I made it and am savoring every moment.
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