Sarah Monroe (Molecular & Cellular Pathology)
Hometown: Tallahassee, Florida
Undergraduate school: Florida State University, 2000
Degree/field of study: B.S. in Biochemistry
"I’m a fifth-year graduate student in the lab, and I’m part of a project that has expanded since I started in the lab. There are now two more graduate students (a second year and first year) working on different aspects of the project. I feel like a part of something big and am proud to be the senior graduate student on the project.
"The faculty in our department are very friendly and approachable, making graduate school very comfortable. They are happy to help students excel in their research and career development. Getting to interact with them really boosts morale and I feel, helps us secure our place in science.
"This past year, I presented a poster at a conference and it went well. It was nice to talk to people from other labs about my work and to hear other approaches to answer key questions in our field of research. Our department has definitely prepared me to present my work as we frequently give oral presentations on our work to the department.
"I wanted to do research because I wanted to have a career that was always pushing our knowledge of cancer biology forward. After rotations, I realized that what was most important for a graduate student was to find a good mentor that could prepare you for research in general. I’m also now considering getting a dual MBA/PhD, which is easier to make happen at the University of Michigan because of all the top-notch programs."
