From RIT to Swarthmore: Alumni Success Story

As she reflects on her education at RIT, two things stood out to her; the sense of community and the hands-on research experience.

Since the chemistry department was so welcoming and excited to guide students, Barrett felt free to explore the subjects she was interested in without fear of asking “stupid questions.” As for the research experience, she saw many of her colleagues in graduate school who didn’t have the same hands-on experience that she enjoyed at RIT, and for that she is thankful.

“I chose RIT because it was an environment where I knew I’d thrive,” said Barrett. “RIT put me in a great position to continue onto graduate school and become a successful student.”

Taylor felt she excelled in her graduate program at the University of Pennsylvania because she was able to hit the ground running. The hands-on experience in the Molecular Imaging Lab with Dr. Hans Schmitthenner gave her a good sense of how research projects move along and how to ask the right questions to keep those projects moving. Since she was able to focus on research right from the beginning, it allowed her to spend time teaching biochemistry during her 4th and 5th years of graduate school which she felt was crucial to her landing the job at Swarthmore.

Her advice to high school students considering where to go to college? “Choose a college where you think you’ll be ‘taken care of’ so to speak,” said Barrett. “This will allow you to focus on your studies and relevant extracurricular activities.”