From the Honors Program at Queensborough to Having Been Accepted to the M.S. Program in Biochemistry at Queens College
By Michelle Lin
I started my college career at Queensborough with no direction and no clear career pathway. Then, along came Dr. Nidhi Gadura, a professor and the coordinator of BioPrep, a summer research internship at Stony Brook University. I applied with no guarantee of admission, but I thought I might as well give it a try. One day she called me frantically saying, “check your email, check your email!” I was very confused. I checked my email and it read: CONGRATULATIONS!! I was admitted into the program. Through this program, I actually found my career. I was amazed. When the program ended, I wanted to continue conducting research. So, I went back and asked my chemistry professor if he knew of any lab openings. He told me that all labs were full. I was very disappointed. I kept thinking to myself I should have asked much sooner. The next day he called me into in office. He told me he had good news and bad news for me. The good news was that he found a mentor for me. The bad news was that I had to stay in Queensborough one extra year if I wanted to conduct research. Without reconsideration, I took his offer and the one who became my mentor was him, Dr. Paris Svoronos. He took me under his wing. We went to several conferences so I can dilate on the nature of my research. After graduating from Queensborough, I was admitted into Queens College, where I currently work under Dr. Wilma Saffran, the former Chair of the Department Chemistry and Biochemistry. As of now, I have been conducting research for almost five years, and I love it. I recently got accepted to the Biochemistry Master’s Program at Queens College, where I continue my research under Dr. Saffran. I also became an adjunct lecturer and teach the chemistry labs. Not too long ago, I was one of these students taking the same courses and now I am in front of the classroom teaching. At Queensborough I found out what I wanted to do with my life. Through the Honors Program, I discovered myself and my abilities.
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