In my household, education was always a high priority. From my earliest years my parents instilled in me the belief that intelligence, perseverance and a good work ethic would help me to succeed in anything that I put my mind to. However, when I was growing up I could never figure out what I wanted to do in life. I always knew that I wanted to help people in a way that would leave a long-lasting impact on their lives. As a result, I began to explore all of the fields which I thought I would enjoy and which would allow me to help people at the same time. During my period of exploration, I was fortunate to have the opportunity to attend a conference on women in the sciences. I walked out of it knowing that pharmacy was the track that I wanted to take. I began earnestly researching and finding information on schools, scholarship opportunities and job shadowing that could prepare me for this field.

This fall I will be a sophomore majoring in chemistry. Currently, I attend South Carolina State University in Orangeburg, South Carolina. I am a part of the South Carolina Alliance of Minority Participation (SCAMP) and I am under the direction of Dr. Judith Salley. SCAMP is a program that offers scholarships as well as internships every summer. Upon completion of my undergraduate studies I would like to attend either medical or pharmacy school. My long-term goal is to become a pharmacist or a P.A.

I chose this field of study because I knew that I could take the pharmacy track as well as take studies which would qualify me for medical school. My option would be to get my masters degree and teach chemistry at the high school level.
This summer I have been privileged to take part in Elizabeth City State University’s Undergraduate Research Experience in Ocean Marine and Space Science. Because this is my first internship, I much of my effort has been directed toward learning the logistics of research. Dr. Overton serves as the mentor for my group, the Marine Fishers Team. Our goal is to find a suitable habitat for striped bass in the Albemarle Sound.

This program thus far has allowed me to work with UNIX, HTML, Remote Sensing, Dreamweaver, and Arcview.
Through all of this I want to be able to expand my horizons in all areas so that I will be a well-rounded individual with a broad list of capabilities.

Although this is my first year in research I know that this is just the start of many more similar experiences to come. My immediate goal is to complete an internship every year. By doing so, I will gain valuable research experience that will help me to become a more capable science student as well as enhance my chances for acceptance to professional and/or graduate study.