Clinical Microbiology Personal Statement

When I was at Wake Technical Community College, my Clinical Microbiology professor asked me to help her in the laboratory. It was an opportunity that changed my life. Some of my best days were spent isolating and reading blood agar plates. Since then, I have wanted to be a Clinical Laboratory Scientist.

As a non-traditional student, my experience at Wake Technical Community College had an impact on me. Having a background in psychology, it terrified me to pursue a different body of science. However, my training and education in the medical laboratory technician program opened many doors for me. Currently, I am a certified medical laboratory technician and pursuing a bachelor’s degree in clinical laboratory science at Winston-Salem State University. One of my favorite classes included clinical microbiology. The complexity and diversity within colonies of microorganisms peaked my interest. Learning the resistance of S. aureus to common antibiotics terrified and fascinated me at the same time. I could see myself as a Clinical Laboratory Scientist for a long time.

Training under Dr. Dance-Barnes who is the co-chair of the Biology department and doing breast cancer research on triple negative and basal-like cell lines have increased my research interest. Although I am new to her laboratory, she has provided me large amounts of information and options. Having to learn laboratory safety, splitting cell cultures, passaging of cells, and making new cell media gave me the necessary tools to excel. My main goal is to find effective ways to treat breast cancer cells. I have proposed to use the Moringa Oleifera plant for my research. Hopefully, I would see promising results with my research. With this new experience, I want to finish my degree in clinical laboratory science and to pursue a Ph.D. in