Days before Commencement, Biology major and Chemistry minor Jayda Cavanaugh received a Student Research Scholarship Award from the Mount.
It’s no surprise that Cavanaugh was honored for her academic skill and dedication. She’s a highly motivated student and the first person in her family to earn a college degree.
One of her latest accomplishments might just be her greatest: Cavanaugh earned a job as a research technician at the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute’s Center for Cancer Genomics in Boston, Mass. It’s a career that hits close to home for Cavanaugh, whose mother is currently battling breast cancer.
“I really love what Dana-Farber stands for,” Cavanaugh explained. “They’re doing cutting edge research.”
It was through the Mount’s Summer Undergraduate Research Experience (SURE), where students work closely with professors on applied research, that Cavanaugh discovered her love of scientific research.
“The opportunities I had through SURE, through independent study, and through the insight of my professors allowed me to get a lot of research experience, to really understand that this was the field I wanted to go into now and for the rest of my life,” Cavanaugh said. “My heart is really in research.”
The Mount’s rigorous Natural Sciences program helped her to prepare for her upcoming career with Dana-Farber, Cavanaugh said: “You go to the Mount and you leave a scientist,” she explained.