About Me

Hello, my name is Alex Smith, from Cincinnati, Ohio, and I am a fourth-year Eminence Fellow pursuing a major in Molecular Genetics and taking supplemental coursework in Swahili. I have chosen these fields of study because I aspire to improve the quality of human life so that everyone, regardless of background, can have access to opportunity. I believe that the study and application of genetics in a medical context will allow me to work towards this goal from an academic standpoint. I am also striving to become more competent in Swahili as I continue to return to Tanzania to work on public service projects through Immediate Impacts, a non-profit organization I helped set up with a number of community leaders in Tanzania.

Throughout my undergraduate career, the Eminence Fellows Program has connected me several on-campus resources, including Ohio State cancer research. Last year, my research has received support via the Undergraduate Student Pelotonia Fellowship Program as well as the Jim Hopper Memorial Undergraduate Research Award. In addition, I successfully completed and defended my undergraduate research thesis, “Determining the mechanism of heightened RAF dimerization in NRAS-driven melanoma”, through the Molecular Genetics department last year.