Senior Send-off:
As the school year is coming to a close, it's time to celebrate our graduating seniors: Mia Dukle, Hiruni Sumanasiri, Klaertje Hesselink, Seren Castellano, Sam Lindgren, Abby McLeod, Aaron Smith, Ellie Wojcikowski, Isaiah Pielak, and Abby Myroth. We are so grateful to have had all of these students work with us, and we cannot wait to see what they do next!
Quotes:
"I’ve been an OUR Ambassador for the past 3 years, and it has honestly been one of the most meaningful parts of my time at Iowa. One of the most impactful things for me was getting to connect with so many students who were unsure about research or intimidated by reaching out to labs, especially because I remember being in that exact position myself when I first came to Iowa. I want to give a huge thank you to the OUR staff and directors for all of their support throughout my time as an ambassador. They have given me so many opportunities to share the importance of women’s health and gynecologic cancer research I’ve been involved in, and helped me get that message out to a wider community. OUR gave me a community that pushed me to grow not only as a researcher, but also as a mentor, leader, and communicator. I’m incredibly grateful for everything this experience has given me, and I know the lessons and connections I’ve made through this program will stay with me long after graduation." -Hiruni Sumanasiri, Microbiology
"I’ve been an OUR Ambassador for 2 years now, and it’s honestly been a really great experience. One of the biggest things I’ll take away from it was getting to meet so many incoming and prospective students during Summer Hawkeye visits. I liked being able to talk to students about research, campus life, and just helping people feel less nervous about starting college at Iowa.
I also really enjoyed getting to know the other ambassadors and the OUR staff. Everyone was always super supportive and easy to work with, and it made the whole experience feel really welcoming. Being an ambassador definitely helped me become more confident talking to people and stepping into leadership roles." -Aaron Smith, Biochemistry and Molecular Biology
"I have been an ambassador for 4 semesters. The most impactful moment was working the tabling sessions for the summer welcome day and getting to help prepare the incoming students for getting involved with research at Iowa! I enjoyed getting to know the other ambassadors and working together to help current and incoming students get involved at the university. I will take with me the understanding that a little bit of work can be very helpful to incoming students and make them even more prepared to succeed." -Sam Lindgren, Neuroscience
"As an OUR ambassador for the past 3 years, I have grown so much. From my communication and presentation skills to making genuine connections with researchers across disciplines, being an ambassador fundamentally shaped who I am as a member of the community. The most impactful aspect of getting to be an ambassador was talking with incoming students who want to get involved in research but have no idea how. I like to think that in those conversations, I was able to make their path to research opportunities smoother and ease the anxieties that I know I felt when I first started pursuing research at Iowa. Thanks so much to the OUR staff for supporting me in innumerable ways during my time as an undergraduate! I will never forget this amazing community of wonderful people who taught me so much." -Abby Myroth, Neuroscience and Ancient Civilizations
"I've been an ambassador for 2 ½ years and I think my most impactful moment was organizing the undergraduate research conference. The main thing I will take away is how great Iowa was for undergraduate research and the support that OUR gave me over the last few years is the reason I am pursuing graduate school. I enjoyed our weekly meetings and chatting with the OUR staff." -Klaertje Hesselink, Chemical Engineering