Their Stories have Changed Mine

When I entered the McNair Program I had already chosen Dr. Damer to be my mentor and was excited to have the opportunity to continue to work on the research we had began during the fall semester. I was asked to interview two other faculty members about their research to get more experience with the interviewing process. At first I was a little frustrated with the assignment I already had my mentor why should I meet with other professors and why should they want to meet with me? I didn’t want them to feel that I am wasting their time. Nevertheless, I e-mailed two science professors I had met during my first semester on campus and to my dismay they were both on leave. I did not know any other professors personally. I told my sister my predicament and she said that I should meet with the Dr. Sheide who she had signed her minor with. Plus, he was my instructor for my Mammalian Physiology course and this would give me an opportunity to introduce myself. I investigated the research Dr. Scheide was interested in and formulated questions not only about his research but his undergraduate school, graduate school, and career experience. He was very open and honest about the choices and trials he faced and I enjoyed the conversation very much. I learned a lot about what to expect when applying to graduate school and in a biological science fields. The last pieces of advice he gave me was to travel and apply to school outside of Michigan. Attending a graduate school would give me the opportunity to see the nation and he encouraged me to look at all my options.
Coincidently, the same piece of advice was given to me by the next instructor that I had visited. I had met Dr. Gorsich when I was working in Dr. Damer lab. He was doing research using yeast cells and he had become an irreplaceable resource to ask questions as we faced obstacles conducting our yeast-two hybrid assay. He was happy to answer all of my questions and I learned about what I should be looking for in a laboratory mentor and research experience as I apply to graduate school. As well as telling me of his own personal choices about college and the difficulty of balancing his academic and career goals with having a family.
The last professor I visited was Dr. Damer and although I knew a lot about her research I knew very little about her life or her expectations of me as a new McNair Scholars. We discussed the new opportunities open to me as a scholar and she was excited for me to visit schools and conferences. She too had wonderful stories and advice to share about choosing graduate schools and mentors. As well as the obstacles she faces as a professor and in her research.
This experience has given me the opportunity to ask my professors questions that I was secretly worried about but had never known who to ask. It was a wonderful learning experience and one I would recommend to everyone. My professors honestly told me what I should expect and shared with me their own personal lives and advice. I am thankful they shared so much.