I chose my major because … I want to provide the latest, scientifically based information on the effects of nutrients and inorganic substances on the human cell. I would like to develop dietary guidelines based on 21st century environmental conditions that will be more reliable than popular dietary plans, fads and historical assumptions.
My favorite professor at NIU is … Steve Franklin who taught the Great Ideas Honors seminar. He selected books across most of historical time that greatly broadened the horizons of the class, and he was well-versed in the literature of each time period. He also provided the optimal learning environment by giving everyone’s views an equal hearing and unbiased acceptance.
My favorite thing to do on campus is … study in the fountain garden next to Faraday Hall. The setting which includes the bushes enclosing the concealed area and the sound of the falling water makes this a special stress-free nook.
Outside of the classroom, my favorite thing at NIU that really enhances my experience here is … the Honors Program. The extracurricular activities, such as attending theater events and Souper Wednesday lunches, have brought art and relaxation to my school year as a necessary addition to the rigors of a science curriculum.
When I have free time, I like to … spend time with my husband, mother, daughters and grandchildren, promote Fair Trade marketing, maintain a large organic vegetable garden and attend art exhibits and community festivals.
One thing I wish I knew about actual college life before I got here was … how accepting the younger student is of the older returning student. I would have had no misgivings of fitting in with the general student body because I have not felt any gap among myself and all my younger classmates.
One positive thing I have learned about myself since coming to NIU is … I can actually do math! I had always thought my mind was limited to literary endeavors, and that I would not be able to grasp upper-level math concepts. Yet my love of biology brought a calculus requirement with it and I’ve learned that I should not doubt my potential.
If I was guaranteed success, I would … undertake a major research project with numerous stations across the country, employing graduate students to test biological substances on human cells both in and outside the laboratory over a 20-year period – and then win the Nobel prize for my work. Actually, I’d like to do this whether I was guaranteed success or not.
After graduation, I plan to … complete my doctorate degree at NIU and would hope to continue research here. Because I live in DeKalb, I can make NIU my base of work indefinitely.
The one NIU experience I will always remember … was going with the Great Ideas class to the Charles Darwin exhibit at the Chicago Field Museum. Our class had already spent most of the semester together in serious discussion across a wide range of subjects, and a field trip regarding one of our assigned books not only enhanced the reading material but brought us together as a family.
Area of Study: Biology
Graduation Date: December 2009
Other Degrees: Associate’s of Arts, College of DuPage
Hometown: DeKalb
High School: St. Francis de Sales, Chicago, Ill.
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