Priscilla Ramchand is double majoring in biology and philosophy with a minor in chemistry. Currently a junior, she’s amassed a curriculum vitae that rivals those of seasoned graduate students.
She has conducted research at the Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, Rockefeller University, the American Museum of Natural History, and the University of Montreal. That work has included collecting dragonflies in New Zealand, studying the genetic components of aphids and wasps, investigating cardiac regeneration in zebra fish, and working on therapeutics for Down syndrome and ALS.
So, she was a natural selection for one of the most prestigious national scholarships for undergraduates in the STEM fields. Last week, she was named a Goldwater Scholar—one of five CUNY students this year and only the fourth Brooklyn College student to earn the award that was established by Congress and aims to identify the nation’s next generation of elite scientific researchers. The scholarship gives awardees up to $7,500 per academic year to cover tuition, books, fees, and room and board.
“It’s a pretty cool recognition of the passion I’ve put into my research,” says Ramchand of the award, administered by the Barry Goldwater Scholarship and Excellence in Education Foundation. “It’s validating that the work I have been doing is meaningful. It feels like a coming of age for me.”
Ramchand immigrated to Brooklyn from Guyana with her family when she was 11 years old. The former middle school valedictorian started down her scientific path in high school, when she began taking courses at the American Museum of Natural History. There, she did her first dissections and spent time with researchers who connected her to another program that paired her with a mentor.
“That mentor really showed me what’s possible,” she says, noting that she got to present a poster project on her work looking into genetic components to the selectivity of parasitoid wasps that feed on aphids. “It was my first real chance to work on something long term and just jumping into a project in that way. It felt great.”
A scientist was born.
“From those earliest experiences with research, I was learning how exciting it was to explore uncharted territory and to work on something where everything you learn is a big deal with the potential to help the entire scientific community,” she says.
By the time she applied to Brooklyn College as a Macaulay Honors student, she was determined to dive into serious research at an institution that would accommodate both her scientific drive and her need for financial assistance.
“It was the most amazing thing not to have to worry about how to afford college,” she says of getting into the Macaulay Honors College, which gives students full tuition, access to mentors, and enhanced advisement. “It solved so many concerns I had because I knew I would get a great quality education here.”
After working her freshman year at the American Museum of Natural History and in a lab at Baruch College (CUNY), she signed on during her sophomore year to do epigenetic research with Associate Professor Marianna Torrente of the Chemistry and Biochemistry Department.
She also became a Tow Undergraduate/Graduate International Research Stipend recipient, which took her to New Zealand over a winter intersession, and a U-RISE scholar, which gave her funds to go to a conference. She spent a summer as a Fulbright Canada–Mitacs Globalink fellow at the University of Montreal. Earlier this academic year, she began an observership program at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, where she shadowed doctors during their rounds.
She says that often she has seen herself in her mentors, most of them women who ran their own labs and had incredible relationships with their staff. She has paid that forward by sharing her own passion with the next generation as a mentor with the New York Academy of Sciences, where she worked with fifth graders.
“Exposing them to things they might not see in class and helping them to be curious about the world, showing them what a path might look like, has been amazing,” she says.
After graduation, she plans on taking a gap year to research and to travel before heading to an M.D.-Ph.D. program, and then on to a career where she hopes to bridge scientific discovery and clinical care.
“I’ve been really thinking about my place in the world,” she says. “All of my experiences that have culminated in this award have helped me grow, become more confident, and own the path I’m on.”
