Alumni Spotlight

Why did your family choose Kennedy for your education?
While I didn't go to Kennedy for my entire childhood, I did start my Kennedy education back at Blessed Sacrament for preschool. My parents decided to bring me back to Kennedy during my sophomore year of high school after seeing all of the opportunities that a Catholic education has to offer. My younger brother and sister had already been at the Lower Campus and many of my friends from preschool were still there, so the transition was rather easy. I firmly believe that the choice to attend Kennedy was one of the best decisions my parents made for me. Without the educational rigor and family-like environment, I would have never known my academic potential. Receiving a Kennedy education opened so many doors for my future and prepared me to pursue my dreams. 

What is your favorite Kennedy memory?
My favorite memory is not just one event, but rather a collection of experiences with my friends. I would say that my favorite memory from Kennedy would be getting to eat lunch with my two best friends, Sophia and Dante Zamarelli, everyday. Lunch was one of the few times all three of us were together and we would just get to hangout and have a little fun. Lunch with them was always a little bit more special to me because that is how we met on my first day at Kennedy. From then on we were inseparable and the next three years at Kennedy were full of some of my greatest memories. We all ended up at Ohio State for college and have continued being good friends. We even have a special celebration dinner every year on the day that we met. I am so thankful for Kennedy giving me the opportunity to create lifelong friendships.

Did you have a teacher or class that was a major influence on you?
My senior year I was able to take a botany and zoology class with Mr. Malcolm. This class is where I discovered that I thoroughly  enjoyed environmental biology and wanted to have a career in that industry. After taking the class, the summer before I got to Ohio State, I decided to change my major to Ecological Engineering. Without this class, I would never have been introduced to the field that I find myself thriving in.

Education/Professional Experience:
What career are you working towards and tell us a little bit about how you are getting there.
I am currently in my senior year at the Ohio State University studying food, agricultural, and biological engineering specializing in ecological engineering. For the past two years I worked in a stormwater research lab which has lead me to the opportunity to earn research distinction with a senior thesis about local climate change impacts on extreme weather events. Through this I have found a passion for research and decided that I will be staying at OSU after graduation to continue my education at the graduate level. Recently, I have gotten involved with the space industry. I am currently working on a NASA X-Hab Capstone to design an autonomous plant DNA extraction system for sequencing onboard the International Space Station. For graduate school I plan on designing 3D printed substrate to grow crops in hydroponic systems in space. After this, I hope to enter into the space industry as a research and development engineer. 

What accomplishment are you most proud of?
Having such a strong background in education and the desire to build a community, I came to Ohio State in search of a similar tight-knit community to the one I had at Kennedy. As one of the few females in engineering, I was having a hard time finding my place. I found myself looking up to female leadership within the college and decided to become one myself. I rose the ranks in Ohio State's chapter in a global organization, Buckeye Precious Plastic, becoming the first female president my sophomore year of college. I look forward to continuing to empower the members of the club and the community of Columbus because I believe every individual has the right to follow their dreams and take control of their own destiny.

What is a specific piece of advice you would give to a Kennedy senior?
I would say that my biggest piece of advice to current seniors is that it is okay and completely normal to fail, fall behind, and feel a little lost. During my first year at Ohio State I was struggling to adjust to all the classes and started to fall behind. However, my mom was extremely supportive of me and encouraged me to keep pushing through and to not give up on my dreams. A piece of advice that she gave me was that there would be no difference in my life if I was an engineer for 50 or 51 years. All that people would remember was that I did it. So if you feel like you need more time to adjust and find you footing, trust the process and allow yourself to fall forward.