Major: biomedical engineering
Hometown: Austin, TX

Why did you choose Cornell?
I chose Cornell mainly for the school’s academic diversity. I was interested in engineering but unsure whether to pursue that completely or explore other areas. Biomedical engineering in particular offered me the chance to explore a broader range of areas. I was also attracted to Cornell because of its vast offering of athletic clubs, interest groups and the diversity of the student population. Finally, after visiting many other campuses, I just felt most at home at Cornell.

How did you decide on your BME concentration? 
I chose to pursue Molecular/Cellular/Systems Engineering (MCSE) because it seemed like the most applicable concentration—my interests have always surrounded small-scale interactions in the body rather than instrumentation or drug delivery.

Any interests outside of or in relationship to your scholarship?
I completed an internship last summer at Gartner, Inc. in Washington, DC and I will be joining that company full-time upon graduation. For 2 1/2 years, I worked in Dr. Fischbach’s lab doing research on the breast cancer microenvironment and how it impacts morphology and metastasis. I am one of the captains of the Cornell A women’s ultimate frisbee team, the Wild Roses, and have been an important part of the team for four years. When I am not running practice or planning tournaments, I am cooking or baking.

What stands out to you about your Cornell BME experience so far and why?
My favorite class has been Dr. Cosgrove’s class, BME 3110: Cellular Systems Biology. It combined my interest in cellular systems with computing-based data analysis and helped me to direct my next steps post-graduation. I also really enjoyed Dr. Yu’s class on Biomedical Data Science this past fall.