Students accepted into top grad schools, overcome obstacles and give to the community: Top commencement stories at University of Richmond
May 8, 2007
Matt Summers, a biochemistry and molecular biology major graduating with honors has won a full scholarship to Mayo Medical School in Rochester, Minn. Medical school scholarships are few and intensely competitive. The Madison, Heights, Va., native always had an interest in science, but an internship at St. Mary's Hospital in Richmond and the opportunity to shadow a local orthopedic surgeon made medicine his career goal. "I'm also getting a master's in public health, so I can have the opportunity to work in community medicine—because I love the interaction with patients," he says. "But I'll also be able to make a positive impact on public health initiatives."
Three weeks after a motorcycle accident left aspiring entrepreneur Jason Blackwell a quadriplegic, he says he sat in his hospital bed, facing a decision that would determine the course of his life. "I thought, 'I'm 21 years old with my whole life in front of me,'" he says. "I had to decide that if I was going to get better, I had to get better on my own—I think that's a decision you make within yourself, and that's what has helped me achieve my goals so quickly." Now 26, Blackwell will graduate with a degree in history. He is buying a house, getting married after graduation and searching for a teaching position in a middle school. In his spare time, Blackwell has petitioned for better accessibility on campus for students, and he mentors other spinal chord injury victims. He is a board member of the Old Dominion chapter of the National Spinal Chord Injury Association. "As a mentor, I see people who think their life is over, that they can't really do anything," he says. "But I tell them that their lives aren't over, that they can do anything they want to because, truthfully, their life has just begun." Last month, Blackwell was the only wheelchair participant in the Monument Avenue 10K.
The study of science through scientific research is a narrow field thought to be almost exclusively male. But three young women plan on breaking that mold at three of the world's top universities this fall. Sarah Remmert, who will graduate with a degree in chemistry, and biochemistry and molecular biology, with double minors in math and physics, will attend University of Oxford in England to begin post-graduate work in physical and theoretical chemistry; Katie Weber, a biochemistry and molecular biology major with a minor in German, has earned a Marshall Scholarship to pursue a post-graduate degree in molecular biology from Cambridge University; and Tammy Slenn, graduating with a degree in biochemistry and molecular biology, and a minor in German, will pursue a post-graduate degree in molecular and cellular biology at Harvard University. Weber, who has conducted scientific research since her first semester, is already published and presented her research on fruit flies at the American Society for Cell Biology meeting in San Diego last September. "I recognize that there aren't as many women as men in science; that I can excel at it and maybe serve as a role model for future women of science," she says.
When Jenny Amburgey's husband died in a car accident, the mother of two said she decided to turn that painful experience into a learning opportunity. She moved from Williamsburg to Richmond to attend college full time and will graduate from the School of Continuing Studies with a degree in information systems and a minor in paralegal studies. After 20 years as a certified dental assistant, she found the use of technology in the profession increasing, and she wanted to gain a competitive edge. Meanwhile, a legal dispute over her husband's will motivated Amburgey to pursue an education in paralegal studies—she applied her new knowledge to assist in winning her case. During her time at the university, Amburgey helped start a support group for widows and provided information systems management to Partnership for Families Northside, a local non-profit.
Jennifer Becker has always wanted to be an attorney. She will graduate from the School of Law and in the fall begin a career in general corporate law with Hirschler Fleischer in Richmond. Becker has been active in community service while pursuing her law degree, volunteering with a GED preparation program for the parole and probation office in Richmond, serving on the volunteer coordination committee of "Build It," the university's largest community service initiative, and helping fellow law students start a pilot program teaching inner-city youths about their legal rights.
It's taken Howard Lee 10 years to complete his degree in paralegal studies while juggling education and career, but he says the journey has been worth it. A month after attaining the highest military rank open to enlisted officers—chief master sergeant—Lee will graduate from the School of Continuing Studies with a 3.85 grade point average. Lee spent 10 years in the Air Force, then left the military for three years before enlisting in the Air Force Reserves in 1995. The television show "L.A. Law" inspired Lee to pursue an associate's degree in paralegal studies. "The paralegal is involved in every aspect of the legal process, and that's what I like about it," he says. "It's almost like being a nurse to the doctor—the nurse has more direct contact with the patient but is also under the doctor's supervision." Lee took only a few classes each semester in order to focus on earning high grades. He plans to take the Certified Legal Assistant exam and eventually go to law school and become a practicing attorney, specializing in criminal or tort law.