ENR Alumni Interview

I chose to interview Emma Dalan. She studied microbiology while attending The Ohio State University and is currently a Research Associate at the University of Texas San Antonio. She researches multiple disorders/diseases, but focuses on the genetics and epigenetics of the disorders. She shared with me that one of their main projects at her job is the study Alzheimers. She and her colleagues have epigenetically edited Alzheimer’s patient-derived stem cells which they can turn into neurons and study how epigenetic editing affects the brain cell function. I found this extremely interesting.

I learned so much from Emma, and she gave me great advice. I think the most memorable thing she told me is to not worry about having everything figured out. Since seventh grade, I’ve been worried about what I’ll be doing at age 30. I’ve realized that my time at OSU will bring me all the preparation I need for my future career and there’s no need to stress too much about my future. She also reminded me that the more involved I am, the better the experiences and connections I will have. She also advised me to get to know at least one professor, preferably one in a field that I’m interested in. She brought up a good point that it’s much easier to get out of your comfort zone in college than as an adult and recommended I take advantage of the opportunities here at OSU to test my boundaries. She also gave me advice for the professional world. She informed me confidence plays a huge role in the professional world. Emma spent a lot of her time at OSU performing research in a molecular genetics/nutrition lab which prepared her for research positions in the professional world.

I plan to incorporate a lot of the things Emma and I talked about in my time at Ohio State. I’m most excited to start looking for research positions available. I think this would be a great resume builder when applying to professional schools and, more importantly, a lot of fun! She also gave me some great advice on how to interview well. This information will come in handy while applying for jobs during my time at school.