Why did you choose your majors?
I have always been fascinated with biology and science courses, so the biology degree offered courses I love while also preparing me for my future endeavors after undergrad. As for Spanish, I wanted to truly become bilingual and I thought that understanding the culture as well as the language would be a great way to help that process. I feel both of my degrees have interesting courses as well as real-life applications for continuing my educational journey.
Would you recommend them to a future student? Why?
Yes, I would recommend either major to future students. The biology department has wonderful professors that are willing to go above and beyond to help create a safe learning environment as well as try to help you see multiple types of science at work.
The languages department, specifically the Spanish professors, are so helpful in gearing each student’s language journey to best fit their career goals and language needs. Many of the classes offered are in place to not only teach the language but to help you use the language in a way that will be beneficial to whatever future career you are aiming for from medicine to business, law, sports management, or teaching.
What are your future plans?
I am currently trying to decide between MD, PhD, or MD/PhD programs. I have had the wonderful opportunity to participate in research on campus, which has opened my eyes to many new career choices that I might be interested in besides obtaining my MD.
Are there any particular experiences — in or out of the classroom — that have helped you identify that path?
I have worked in a doctor’s office for a little less than two years that is about five minutes from campus. With this opportunity, I have had plenty of patient interaction and seen the day-to-day life of many practitioners at work. Going to work always helped reaffirm that I have a real passion for medicine and I love the interaction that I have had with everyone there. I also have had the opportunity to be in a developmental genetics research lab on campus which has helped me see that there might be a way to combine medicine into my future in more ways than just one.
What is the doctor’s office that you worked at and what was your job position?
I worked for Neuron Medical Corp and I was considered office staff, but once I received my phlebotomy license I also did some specialty draws for them. I typically took patients’ vitals, booked appointments, went over labs, and sent out order forms from the doctors to patients. I’m on leave right now because of summer research and soccer, so at the moment, I do not work there.
Kari is a recipient of a 2023 Swenson Science Summer Research Fellowship. With her faculty mentor, David Marcey, PhD, she is working on a project titled, “Molecularly mapping the genomic insertion point of a transgene with a novel expression pattern in the eye of Drosophila melanogaster.”