Student Profile

Linnea L. recipient of the Bonner Family Odyssey Scholarship

Linnea L. ’20

Hometown: Spicer, MN

“My education at the University of Chicago means everything to me, but my scholarship means more because it’s the whole reason I’m here.”

How did your summer experiences clarify your career or academic interests (for example, a Metcalf internship or research opportunity)?
This summer I worked as a Metcalf intern for the Chicago Academic Achievement Program (CAAP) in the Center for College Student Success, and also conducted researched part-time in a lab. Working as a CAAP intern was the best experience of my life and I wouldn’t give it up for the world but after working in a lab setting I know I was meant to do research. I absolutely loved working in a wet lab even when the days consisted of just running gels or doing PCRs. Research is so exciting, and even though progress takes time and it was sometimes very difficult to find a solution, the small victories we had over the summer were amazing and we truly learned a lot. Being a CAAP intern also showed me that I need to be able to interact with others in my future career. The relationships I built with the students I worked with and my supervisors are relationships that I cherish to this day and mean so much to me. I know that in the future I want to find a career that melds both research and the people that my research is affecting.

Please describe how you are choosing your course of study. Have there been clarifying moments in your Core classes or particularly inspiring professors who are helping identify your academic passions?
Originally, I applied to UChicago as a math major. However, during my Destination Chicago experience, I heard Dr. Neil Shubin give a talk in Rockefeller Chapel. He talked about his journey of discovering Tiktaalik, the evolutionary link between fins and forearms. After that talk, I knew I had to be a biology major. Seeing how Dr. Shubin could learn so much about this world and make connections that have never been seen before was amazing, and I knew I wanted to be a part of future discoveries. I’m currently taking a Fundamentals of Genetics class taught by Dr. Jocelyn Malamy, which I am absolutely loving. During a recent lecture, she spoke about the legacy of Dr. Janet D. Rowley, an alumna as well as a former lecturer of the very class I am taking now. Her work in cancer research and eventual development of a treatment for one of the most curable cancers we know today is breathtaking. Her work in genetics inspired me so much. I had a feeling that I might specialize in genetics, but after talking with Dr. Malamy, taking her class, and learning about Dr. Rowley, I know for sure that genetics is something I want to research for a very long time.

What activities are you involved with outside the classroom?
Outside of the classroom, I volunteer for Peer Health Exchange, an organization that teaches health education in surrounding high schools. I also am a part of GeneHackers, a synthetic biology club. In addition, I am on the UChicago QuestBridge board, and have served as head ambassador for two years during which I have started a service committee where students can come together and work on service projects every month. I am president of Rogers Family House and am very involved in House culture. I currently work at the Center for College Student Success as a student coordinator, and have loved every minute of it.

If you could speak directly to the person whose gift supported your scholarship, what would you say?
I just want to say thank you so much from the bottom of my heart. I would not be able to afford college without your wonderful and immense generosity. Because I attend UChicago, I have a future, one that I am so excited for and one I wouldn’t have without your kind donation. My education at the University of Chicago means everything to me, but my scholarship means more because it’s the whole reason I’m here. My scholarship changed my future and my life. I know I can be the scientist I was always meant to be, and I can’t thank you enough for making that happen. Thank you again, so, so much.