Majors: Biology and Chemistry What is your current position/career? I am currently a Biomedical Science PhD graduate student at St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, where I have been studying the basic science of cell death and how this can be translated for better cancer treatments. How did Cal Lutheran and/or your biology/chemistry program set you up for […]
The criminology & criminal justice program at Cal Lutheran incorporates an internship as part of graduation requirements, which pushes students to gain work experience and helps them stand out from the rest upon graduating. The political science program also has interesting travel seminars and experiential learning opportunities like Model United Nations and Urban Politics in Washington D.C.
I chose to major in psychology because I am fascinated by how the brain processes information and how it rebounds from injury and disease. Exploring multiple topics within psychology through my classes and working with professors on research teams has allowed me to discover my passion for clinical psychology. My dad graduated from Cal Lutheran in 1989 with a German minor; my whole life he spoke highly of the program with Dr. Walter Stewart. My minor has been helpful, especially when studying the history of psychology and the founding German psychologists. I am currently working as a German department assistant and am excited to help tutor students as they learn the language.
Psychology offers a very broad educational experience where you can find many specific avenues of interest. Taking Adult Development and Aging (PSYC 305) helped me narrow down my future career. I chose a religion minor because I love how religion can be applied to numerous settings and how it can open doors for people to meet and learn from one another. Religion can be interpreted in many different ways and therefore offer much to us in everyday and scholarly discussions.
I would recommend biochemistry for any student that wants to understand more about the basic building blocks of life. Learning some of the concepts at first can be frustrating, but it is really rewarding to be able to apply them in a lab setting outside of lectures. I am also an applied scientific computing minor and am learning science communication skills that can be applied to many career paths, such as medicine, science journalism and quality control. This will allow me to have more options for career paths after I graduate and aid me in my further studies as a biochemistry major.
I believe biology is a universal degree that covers pretty much everything, there are so many career paths to explore such as pharmaceuticals or zoology. The thing that intrigued me about the environmental science major was the types of labs that were offered under it. Many of them involve field work, like the water resources lab. And this summer, I participated in directed research with Dr. Megan Fung. Through that I gained laboratory skills as a first-year and an amazing opportunity to begin my journey toward my dream career.
I feel both of my degrees have interesting courses as well as real-life applications for continuing my educational journey towards an MD, PhD, or both.
I have always loved numbers and hands-on work, so a chemistry major allowed me to explore my passion for analytical chemistry. While at Cal Lutheran, I have the best of both worlds: tons of hands-on experience with direct and personal guidance and collaborative quantitative work. As I immersed myself in the science buildings on campus, I realized that I have access to a wide range of instruments, a variety of research topics to explore and extremely supportive professors.
I chose environmental science because it is an interdisciplinary major where there are a plethora of skills you can learn. I wanted to study something highly applicable across many fields in STEM and humanities so I would get the best of both worlds. I love how I can decide if I want to study present issues like climate change or study past climates through research.
I think a psychology degree can get you very far in life because there are a lot of different routes you can go down with it. Making connections and talking to people has been the biggest help with identifying my path! My future plans are to pursue my graduate degree in licensed social work (LCSW) and begin practicing in a clinical aspect.