Think beyond ...

Junior
Major: Chemistry

Q. Congratulations on being named to the Landmark Conference All-Academic Team! You’re the goalie on Drew’s women’s soccer team, right?
A. That’s right. I came to Drew because I wanted to play soccer right away and not sit on the bench for three years. I played soccer, softball and basketball my first year—that would never happen at a big Division I school. At Drew, I was able to be more involved more quickly.

Q. And, since you were named to the all-academic team, I guess academics are as important to you as athletics.
A. As an athlete, I find that my professors are really accommodating. If I have a game, professors are understanding about making up an exam or moving a lab. That’s not always true at an academically focused school like Drew. Drew is a really small community, and so students and professors work closely together. There are probably only about seven chemistry majors, so the professors know your name. Sometimes it seems like everyone knows everything about everybody at Drew!

Q. What has been your biggest academic challenge so far at Drew?
A. I conducted research on osmium complexes with Professor Mary-Ann Pearsall through the Drew Summer Science Institute. The DSSI is a summer research internship in which students work one-on-one with professors on full-time research projects. It’s a great opportunity to get your feet wet in a research setting. Dr. Pearsall gave me a lot of independence in conducting the research, so I developed lots of lab skills and an ability to work autonomously. In the lab, if something goes wrong, the day is not over until you figure it out and fix it. It’s not like a lab class; you can’t just leave when the bell rings.

Q. Chemistry is a pretty demanding major. What was your hardest course?
A. Physical Chemistry—it separates the chemistry majors from the chemistry major wanna-bes. I’m involved with the Drew University Chemistry Society; we hold tutoring sessions before big exams, and we help the underclassmen to understand the subject matter. Like I said before, the chemistry department is small, and there is a lot of support.

Q. Between athletics and academics, do you have any time for fun with your friends?
A. We manage to take trips off campus. We go into downtown Madison to the restaurants, or take the train into New York. Once after soccer, we ended up going to South Street Seaport to see BODIES…The Exhibition.

Q. And what if your friends are looking for you on campus? Where would they most likely find you?
A. Probably the athletic forum. It’s this huge expanse of a gym, with plenty of room to juggle a soccer ball and just hang out. I’m a morning person, though, so I get there really early and have the place to myself. It’s probably my favorite place at Drew.