“I really enjoyed getting to the mechanistic perspective and the basics of things,” she explains. “And then when I went to Hopkins I got the opportunity to study things like genetics and development. That gave me a different perspective on science, which I never would have gotten if I were in the bubble of doing only biochem.”

“At Hopkins, I’ve learned to collaborate [and communicate] with different people as well as think outside the box. Because CMDB is an umbrella program, you’re going to get different input for your projects. It will expand how you think about [science]."

“The rotation program made me realize how much I loved all aspects of biology, and I joined Jocelyne’s lab because it was so interdisciplinary. It’s sequencing-based, which involves computational analysis, but it also allowed me to work in a controlled laboratory setting as well as in the field.”

“I really liked the people. I felt they were very genuine and easy to get along with. And I liked the research: Hopkins has lots of different kinds of labs and research interests, but at the same time, it’s a small community. Everyone knows about each other and about each others’ work.”

“I love my lab. It’s like the UN: people from all over the world. Each person in the lab had a team to root for in the World Cup. It’s diverse in specialty, too: physicists, biologists, chemists, all in one group.”

“Before coming here, I had never taken a biophysics class, and then I needed to. My program got me a tutor, for free. Think about what you need and if you are getting it. If you aren’t getting it, do something about it. Talk to the people you need to talk to—your boss, your department, whoever. There are so many resources here.”

“People at Hopkins are just really friendly and really collaborative. Doors are open, literally and figuratively. People make themselves available to talk to you. And I like the feel of Baltimore, I love the community vibe, I feel like people care a lot about this city."