Her Story
About Sophie
Sophie recently graduated with a bachelor's degree in biology after four years of undergraduate work focused on immunology and cancer research. She developed an interest in immunology through a course where her professor encouraged her to join his research group. Her notable achievement includes presenting as first author on a research project at the Whittier College Symposium, where she investigated combining resveratrol and cisplatin to induce cancer cell death while potentially reducing toxicity. She is now transitioning into the biotechnology sector to gain experience before pursuing a PhD in immunology and cell biology. Sophie attributes her success to her strong work ethic, being willing to go in early and stay late to ensure experiments proceed. She values being responsible and communicative, maintaining a good balance between work or school and home life, and follows the advice to put her best foot forward and persist through trial and error, as science requires.
Her Interview
Ten minutes with Sophie
01What do you attribute your success to?
I attribute my success to my work ethic. I'm willing to go in early, stay late, and do what needs to be done so that my experiment or project can proceed.
02What’s the best career advice you’ve ever received?
The best career advice I received is to put your best foot forward and always try your hardest, even if you fail. You can get up and try again because science is all about trial and error.
03What are the biggest challenges or opportunities in your field right now?
The biggest challenge is finding funding for experiments due to cutbacks, especially in PhD programs where fewer students are accepted now.
04What values are most important to you in your work and personal life?
Being responsible and communicative is important to me, along with maintaining a good balance between work or school and home life.
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