Annual Career Development Workshop (June 23, Columbia) Agenda and Event Details (required registration now closed)
Graduating Class of 2025 (May)
Benedict College
Adejá McCord, Biology, “I've started the competitive process to get into a respiratory therapy program .”
Naya Hall, Biology, “After completing my undergraduate degree, I plan to attend a masters nursing program with the goal of becoming a women's health nurse practitioner. ”
Marcus French, Biology. Plans are to attend Physical Therapy School.
Kendrail Mouzon, BS Biology. Next steps: Assistant at Midlands Orthopedic and Neurosurgery Center, part time instructional assistant for STEMU, while studying for my MCAT.
Columbia College
Jaquaya Adams, Biology and Public Health
College of Charleston
Penelope Perkins (Mentor: Dr. Sarah Porto), BS in Biology; Concentration in Biomedical. Penelope will attend Marian University Medical School in Indianapolis, IN, starting in Aug 2025.
Zack Reynolds (Mentor: Dr. Sorinel Oprisan), Biology major and Biomedical Physics minor. Will be applying to medical school.
Jenna Parker (Mentor: Dr. Jay Forsythe), BS Mathematics and BA Biochemistry double major. Jenna is planning to take a gap year and then attend medical school.
Justin Baek (Mentor: Dr. Tim Barker), BA Biochemistry and BS public health. Justin has been accepted to MUSC, starting medical school in Fall 2025.
Ashley Hubbard (Mentor: Dr. Meredith Frazier), BA Biology and Spanish. After graduating, Ashley will be “going home to Maryland to take some time off and then pursue a masters!”
Erik Daquilanea (Mentor: Dr. Meredith Frazier), BS Biochemistry and Chemistry, BA Biology. Next for Erik: pursuing a PhD in Biochemistry at Emory University.
Madison Meeks (Mentor: Dr. Jennifer Fox). Madison Meeks is graduating from the College of Charleston as an Honors College participant with majors in both Chemistry and Biochemistry via the Artium Baccalaureatus degree centered around Latin. She completed her Bachelor's Essay on her research project with Dr. Jennifer Fox, who is supported by an SC INBRE DRP grant. After graduating, Madison will be attending Meharry Medical College to obtain her Master’s in Health Sciences to prepare for her matriculation into medical school within the next three years.
Not shown: Connor Brunson (Mentor: Dr. Brooke Van Horn), BS Chemistry. Connor is headed to graduate school at the University of Florida in Fall 2025 where he will pursue a PhD in polymer and materials chemistry; Ella Kasten (Mentor: Dr. Mike Giuliano), BS Biology.
Coastal Carolina University
Dr. Drew Budner’s students: Luke Ferguson, Biochemistry; Victoria Jordan, Biochemistry & Engineering (Dual Degrees); Madelynn Lisciandro, Biochemistry; Leah A. Rose, Biochemistry; Jada E. Spake, Biochemistry; Cidney Hodges, Chemistry; Sean Ballard, Chemistry; Lucy Goodwin, Biology; Gabrielle Sowers, Biology; Alexis Dair Sanchez Prieto, Biochemistry
Dr. Paul Richardson’s students: Ella Caldwell, Biology (right); Emily Bishop (with Dr. Richardson, left)
Dr. Brian Lee’s student: Cierra Williams, Biochemistry
Dr. Callie Crawford’s student: Julia Sciandra, Biology (center)
Converse University
Dr. Jessica Sorrell’s student: Tabitha Merrithew is a Mathematics and Chemistry double major and Nisbet Honors Program student at Converse University. In Summer 2024, with support of SC INBRE, Tabitha conducted research under the supervision of Dr. Jessica Sorrells in the area of mathematical design of DNA self-assembly. Her project is titled, "Optimal Designs for DNA Self-Assembly of Select Archimedean Solids in the Flexible Tile Model." Tabitha earned a Best Poster in her category award at the SC INBRE symposium this past Feb. In Fall 2025, Tabitha will begin the MS in Bioinformatics and Computational Biology program at The University of Texas at Dallas.
Furman University
Furman proudly celebrates the graduation of seven prior SC INBRE-supported summer research students in 2025, most of whom engaged in multiple summers of biomedical research. They include:
Ella Chandler, worked with Dr. Meghan Breen who developed new genetic tools for studying the yeast Candida albrata
Amelia Hatley, worked with Dr. Vicky Turgeon, who studied the effects of embryonic exposure to thrombin
Dallas Shuman and Elsa Shiekh (not shown), worked with Dr. Veronica Flores, who investigated the neurological basis of taste experience
Zora Jamison, worked with Dr. David Hollis to study oncogenic responses resulting from injury to fish brains
Liyah Reed, worked with Dr. George Shields, who performed computational modeling of fentanyl and its receptors
Jon Daniel (not shown), worked with Dr. Alison Roark, who observed metals impacting the symbiotic behavior between sea anemones and algae.
Presbyterian College
Dr. Ladie Kimberly De La Cruz’s students: (left) Kayla Ponchamni’s summer research was funded by SC INBRE. She is graduating with an Honors BS degree in Chemistry and has been recognized as PC’s Outstanding Chemistry major this year. She is slated to join North Carolina State’s PhD Chemistry program this Fall 2025.
(right) Amanda Bailey was supported by Dr. De La Cruz’s 2024 Organic Syntheses grant and partially funded by SC INBRE. She will graduate this May with an Honors BS degree in Biochemistry, and has been recognized as this year’s Outstanding Biochemistry major. She will be joining Duke University’s PhD Chemistry program this Fall 2025.
Dr. Eli Owens’s students: Jacob Clerc, Medical Physics, has been accepted into the PhD physics program at Vanderbilt.
MacKenzie Partsch, Biochemistry, has been accepted into the Clemson PhD program in Medical Biophysics. Outside of the classroom and lab, MacKenzie was a midfielder on PC’s Division I lacrosse team.
Abigail (Abbi) Weatherford, Biology, will be attending MUSC next year, working on a PhD. While at PC, Abbi was an officer of Zeta Tau Alpha. During her presidency, ZTA received the Crown Chapter Award and Founders Club Award.
University of South Carolina
Dr. Holly LaVoie’s student: Ridha Fatima, a biochemistry and molecular biology major in the Honors College, received USC’s Steven N. Swanger Award, the University’s top leadership award which recognizes a senior student for significant contributions to the university as an Omicron Delta Kappa member. She will be attending medical school in the fall.
USC Upstate
Center: Jadynn McMahon and Addy Taylor (Mentor: Dr. William Jackson), BS Biology. Both will begin their graduate studies in Molecular/Cellular Biology (PhD) at the Medical College of Georgia, Augusta University.
Left and right: Lakyn Phillips and Mallory Shaver (Mentor: Dr. Ken Roberts), Chemistry. Both Lakyn and Mallory are members of the USCA Pacer Softball team – Lakyn is a pitcher and Mallory is infield. They will continue their research at USCA this summer.
USC Upstate
Tessa Greene, Chemistry, is passionate about her field and has had the opportunity to participate in many research opportunities at Upstate, including the summer Er(UP)t program. She will be starting the doctoral program in chemistry at North Carolina State University in the fall.
Paula Melton, BS in Chemistry (with an ACS certification) and a minor in Math, will be attending graduate school at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign to obtain a PhD in organic chemistry.
Additional graduates: Nicholas Bright; Christopher Csabon; Bryson Green; Alana Kang; Brianna Sapounas; Mikayla Spangler; and Arlena Thompson
Winthrop University
Emma Westmoreland, BS Chemistry. “I cannot express how truly grateful I am to have had such wonderful research and presentation opportunities throughout my undergraduate experience. Thank you so much to the Department of Chemistry at Winthrop University, especially my mentor Dr. Timea Fernandez, for helping me greatly advance my future as a scientist.”
