When junior genetics major and member of the Army National Guard Stephanie Toft got the call to come into work for hurricane Helene relief efforts, she didn’t hesitate.
“With the devastation that Hurricane Helene has caused the Carolinas, the need for assistance has been dire and that is one of the many reasons I chose to be in the military—to aid my state in moments of need.”
Stephanie works in the Aviation Unit in Greenville, which is always prepared and ready to assist with natural disasters being equipped with many aircrafts and well-trained pilots. Stephanie and her unit worked to rescue civilians and get tens of thousands of pounds of supplies transported to North Carolina.
“My official job title is an Aviation Operations Specialist, so I checked out equipment to the pilots going out to transport cargo and attempt rescues, communicated with them over the radio and made sure safety and success of the mission was the top priority.”
Overall, Stephanie and her unit accomplished many rescues of individuals trapped in isolated areas and their chinook aircrafts dropped 20,000lbs of supplies everyday as they went out to get food and water to those who desperately needed it. They even had aircrafts from New York and Florida come to their Greenville unit so they could head to North Carolina together to fully assist with relief efforts.
Stephanie was raised in Greenville, South Carolina and grew up having aspirations to follow in her sisters’ footsteps by joining the military.
“I have an immense passion for my job and aviation in general, and my goal is to complete my twenty years of service to retirement because I love my job so much!”
Stephanie is a transfer student, who after obtaining her associate’s degree, came to Clemson under a different major. However after hearing Dr. Alison Starr-Moss speak at the College of Science Open House about genetics as a major and career route, she switched paths.
“Dr. Starr-Moss explained it so well at the open house that choosing to pursue genetics at Clemson was a no-brainer. She explained how genetics takes biology and showcases life processes at such an in-depth level that I couldn’t help but want to get involved in research and explore what that meant.”
Stephanie currently works in Dr. Michael Sehorn’s DNA Cell Repair Lab. She just began working in the lab this semester and the excitement she has to learn more about the repair process and how homologous DNA repairs and breaks function is paramount to her aspirations to be involved in research in general.
Her plans after graduation are to attend graduate school and continue pursuing a genetics-related research career. Stephanie hopes to find some more amazing research opportunities to grow her lab experience and delve deeper into the fundamentals of genetics.
If you can’t find Stephanie working for the military or in a research lab, you can find her hiking, her favorite spot being Alaska!
“I may be a newbie to the world of genetics, but switching my major and joining the Clemson family absolutely was the right decision, and I feel as passionate about it as I do about joining the military!”
