Tag: COSMIC

Wanting to escape the cold of her hometown of Huntley, Illinois, junior biochemistry student Adrianna Crespo knew once she graduated from high school, she had her sights set on the south – and set on Clemson, committing to the university the day she was accepted.

“I often get asked why I chose Clemson, and I never have a really good answer, as a part of me just always knew that this is where I belonged. From my research, and before I had even toured, I decided that Clemson would be the school for me. The sense of community and academic rigor ultimately drew me into Clemson.”

Also drew to our biochemistry program, and  Adrianna was not disappointed. Our G&B department has provided some amazing and supportive friends and professors.

“My best friend Olivia Palmieri and I met in our Biol 1011 lab our freshman year. I am extremely grateful for our friendship.”

Adrianna’s professors have supported her both inside and outside the classroom, challenging her academically while also investing time in mentoring her growth as a student and an emerging scientist.

“My professors have given me invaluable professional development advice and opportunities that have helped me tremendously, from encouraging me to pursue research to helping me think about my future career in science. Their guidance, encouragement, and willingness to invest in their students have made a lasting impact on my college experience.”

Adrianna participates in a couple of different academic-based extracurricular activities on campus, including serving as an Academic Success Center Tutor for General and Organic Chemistry and also acting as a Tutor Mentor where she has the opportunity to train the other tutors at the Academic Success Center. In addition, Adrianna contributes as the ROAR Leader, where she coordinates and plans the ROAR review sessions for Chemistry I and II that occur before the exams.

“Tutoring has been a rewarding experience because it allows me to help other students work through challenging concepts and build confidence in subjects that can often feel overwhelming. I am given the chance to mentor students and help foster independence for their future college endeavors.”

Another academic campus involvement that Adrianna is involved in is her research in inorganic chemistry in Dr. Tran Dominy’s Lab, where she works closely with Dr. Xudong Huai in their work with polycrystalline structures by solid state and flux reactions. Adrianna’s research is part of a departmental honors.

“For the departmental honors distinction in chemistry, I will write a thesis and defend it in front of a board. Dr. Huai and I are currently in the works of writing an entirely different paper for publication at the end of this year!”

Adrianna has also served as the Scholarships Chair for the Alpha Lambda Gamma Honors Society, is a part of the panhellenic sorority Alpha Phi, a member of Order of the Omega, a COSMIC mentor and Student Science Ambassador.

“However, one of my most meaningful leadership roles has been my involvement as Campus Outreach Coordinator for American Medical Women’s Association. I have watched the club grow and become an amazing experience for so many students.”

Illinois does not have mountains, so in her free time, Adrianna loves hiking the trails in North and South Carolina with her rescue dog, Bronco. Bronco came into Adrianna’s life shortly before Hurricane Helene, as the Oconee Humane Society (OHS) was searching for fosters before the storm.

“He is my best friend, and it has been one of my favorite college experiences to be his mom and he really is my entire world. I now volunteer at OHS whenever I can!”

Particularly interested in drug research and development, Adrianna hopes one day to contribute to the discovery and production of new medications that can improve patient outcomes. After graduation, she plans to attend graduate school to pursue a Ph.D. in either medicinal chemistry or pharmacology.

“In the long term, I would also like to work in academia, where I can continue conducting research while teaching at the university level. Being able to mentor students and share my passion for chemistry and drug discovery would allow me to contribute to both scientific advancement and the education of future scientists.” Just like her professors did for her.

P.S. The last question we ask everyone in these interviews is “Anything else you want to add?” Most of the time that question is left blank. Adrianna’s wasn’t.

“[Speaking on her parents] I just want to thank them for supporting me from so far away and that I truly owe my experience to them and their undying support. Their belief in me has played a huge role in where I am today.”

Fun Fact: Junior biochemistry student Olivia (Liv) Palmieri’s high school in Galloway, New Jersey sat right on the beach. Even so, knowing that medicine was the end goal, she was drawn down south to Clemson University for her undergraduate experience. Clemson was an easy choice for Liv because of our strong sense of community, robust biochemistry program and the wide-ranging number of opportunities for both academic and personal growth.

“I chose biochemistry as my major because it combines my passion for science with my interest in medicine, allowing me to build a strong foundation for a future in healthcare. Being in the Genetics and Biochemistry Department has been a supportive community I am blessed to be a part of. The department allows students to gain hands-on learning opportunities and explore future career paths.”

Having psychology and cluster life science minors, Liv has loved learning campus and getting involved in all the extracurriculars and research opportunities that she can throughout her time at Clemson thus far. One of these is a research opportunity participating in a Creative Inquiry with Dr. Robin Kowalski in the Department of Psychology.   

“Since my sophomore year, I have worked with Dr. Kowalski as a member of her Social Psychology Creative Inquiry team, gaining insight into research design and analysis. Our projects focus on perceptions and their impact on behavior. We have presented our work at multiple forums over the past two years, and one of our papers was recently published!”

Liv has even recently begun a Departmental Honors with Dr. Kowalski, which means that she will complete a thesis of a major research project. Departmental Honors provides Honors students a unique opportunity to do advanced, in-depth study and research within an academic discipline.

Additionally, Liv is a member of the Honors College, where she serves as both a Peer Mentor and an Honors Ambassador. Within the College of Science, she also serves on the Student Advisory Board and as a COSMIC mentor.

“Both roles that allow me to support students and foster growth.”

Liv also acts as the Vice President of Omicron Delta Kappa, Vice President of Membership of Order of Omega and serves as the Event Coordinator for the American Medical Women’s Association.

“I am also an active member of the Kappa Delta sorority and PhiDE, the pre-medical fraternity on campus. In my free time, I enjoy staying active and volunteering locally!”

While Liv stays deeply involved on campus, embracing the opportunities she hoped for when she first arrived, she still reflects on her future goals and the ambitions that brought her here in the first place.

“After I graduate, I plan to attend medical school and pursue a career in healthcare. I am interested in both neurology and surgery!”

When senior biochemistry major Ruxi Xia was shopping for colleges, she began to get worried that she wouldn’t find the place for her because she wasn’t connecting at any of the campuses she toured at. That all changed when she visited Clemson.

“Clemson felt like home as soon as I stepped on the campus.”

Ruxi is an international student from Wuhan, China that came to the US in high school and lived with a host family. After high school Ruxi was excited to learn that Clemson had a robust biochemistry program.

“I wanted a strong biochemistry program to set me up for success in cancer research as it has been my career choice since one of my family members passed from cancer.”

Now that Ruxi is here, she is grateful to have been exposed to many foundational science courses that she says will set her up for success.

“I enjoy my upper-level professors, who are really passionate about science and have made me a much stronger student.”

Ruxi is not only involved in her routine academics on campus; she is a part of many different extracurricular activities including the Clemson Light Imaging Facility (CLIF).

“I have worked on many independent immunofluorescence staining projects, learned to operate wide-field and confocal microscopes, and coordinated an imaging contest that receives entries from all over the world for that past three years.”

Ruxi also works in a bioengineering lab characterizing peptides to deliver siRNA for RNA interference applications in ovarian cancer, as well as using a 3D spheroid model to better study the tumor and has presented her research at five national conferences.

As a co-director for Clemson Paw Pantry since Spring 2023, Ruxi has enjoyed leading the executive team and spreading awareness for the initiative, tripling both the usage of the pantry and the number of volunteers. Ruxi is also a student tutor at the Academic Success Center and mentor for the Clemson College of Science Mentoring and Inclusion Collaborative (COSMIC).

In addition, Ruxi serves as an active member in student government, as the volunteer/community service coordinator for the Clemson Rotaract Club and as the president of the Clemson Chinese Students and Scholars Association (CSSA).

“I have really enjoyed getting to help out the community whether that is helping at the Clemson Community Care, local farms, and other shelters in the community.”

Ruxi went to high school in Virginia and enjoys baking, cooking and spending time with her friends trying new restaurants and coffee shops. After graduation, Ruxi plans to either pursue a Ph.D. in biomedical engineering or pharmaceutical sciences.