Created to honor Whittier College alumnus and former U. S. President Richard M. Nixon ‘34, the Nixon Fellowship Program is designed to prepare exceptional students for informed citizenship and service through internships, scholarship, and research opportunities that echo Nixon's successful legacy in domestic and foreign policy. Students named Nixon Fellows will develop leadership skills, increase international understanding, and experience the rewards inherent in a career dedicated to the public good.
Hometown: Elizabethtown, KY
Major: Biochemistry
Briefly describe your project: My project focuses on the potential carcinogenic effects of electronic cigarette vapor compared to cigarette smoke-induced lung cancer.
Who is your project mentor(s)? Biology Professors David Bourgaize and Erica Fradinger
What opportunities has the Nixon Fellowship opened up for you? This fellowship opportunity allowed me a jumpstart on a graduate school experience by proposing my own scientific question and exploration. When I go to graduate school, I believe that my fellowship experience will advance my performance and outcomes as Ph.D. students are expected to multiply the same format that I am currently following.
What is the greatest lesson you've learn through the Nixon Fellowship? Even for self-motivated, well-managed time minders, setting my own timeline and following it has been challenging. But ultimately, I find that I must follow my own plan without a coddling hand to keep me in line; I have been paid to do a job with trust and expectations to successfully work within this capacity.
What’s something interesting you’ve learned about Nixon himself? When researching the proposal aspect of the fellowship application, I was astonished that Richard Nixon's stance on the "war against cancer" appeared to have more of an emotional root than one that simply boosted his political image. Luckily, the Internet has made this phenomenon visible by video as Nixon and the NIH administration established a branch of cancer-specific research funded by the US government. I was truly moved and additionally inspired.
What’s the most rewarding aspect of being a Nixon Fellow? The most rewarding aspect for me has been humility. I have big dreams and sometimes out-of-perspective goals. Having the ability to conduct my own, self-directed research has pinball-bumper guided me into the reality that will likely serve in my best interest not only for graduate school, but as an industry professional if my future follows that path.
What are your plans for after college? Currently, my plans are to attend graduate school for my field while earning credentials to possibly teach high school or college.
