Amber Crowley-Gall, Sophomore

Hometown:

Major:

Clubs/organizations:

The Faculty:

One interaction with a professor that I will always remember was a meeting I had with Dr. Dan Krane.  I had a class with Dr. Krane during the winter quarter of my freshman year and then met with him in the spring quarter to discuss my goals for the future.  Dr. Krane explained to me all of the possibilities in my chosen field of interest, and what the best routes would be for me to take to achieve my goals.  Throughout this talk Dr. Krane gave me some of the best advice that I have ever been given and showed me what all I can accomplish.  I plan on using his advice throughout my whole career here at Wright State and during all my future academic and professional endeavors.

Feeling at Home:

I love living on campus. I only have a five to ten minute walk to classes in the morning and I am here for all the campus events, allowing me to be more involved. I also get to live and hang out with people who have become my closest friends. This makes it so much easier for group study sessions, movie nights, or just taking a break from studying to talk..

Getting Involved:

My favorite on campus experience has been joining the Wright State Biology Club.  This would be my favorite experience, because of all of the activities we have done.  As a part of this club I have been able to go on a behind the scenes tour of the Dayton Children’s Hospital to visit their genetics and chromosomal labs to learn how they diagnose genetic disorders.  We also went on a behind the scenes tour of the Columbus Zoo.  On this tour we got to go behind the scenes of the penguin, gorilla, and elephant exhibits to talk to the keepers about how they take care of the animals and the different conservation programs they have. We even got to see a baby elephant closer than normally permitted.  I like Biology Club, because it allows people with the same major to get to know one another and to explore different aspects of the field they are interested in.

Preparing for the Future:

After my undergraduate career I hope to attend graduate school in order to obtain a Ph.D. in genetic research.  This is because my overall career goal is to become a research scientist, possibly at a university where I could become a professor as well.  Wright State is helping to prepare me for this by exposing me to all different aspects of science and by exposing me to some of the best professors and researchers.  Hopefully at some point next year it will also prepare me through a job on campus in a research laboratory learning proper research techniques and by seeing what the faculty members are researching.  Wright State will also prepare me through the Departmental Honors Project that I am planning on doing in order to graduate with honors.  Through this project, that I will start sometime in my junior year, I will be able to complete an experiment under the guidance of a faculty member as well as present my findings during the honors colloquium that is held every year.

A Little Advice:

I know this may not seem like the best thing to say, but I would tell students to follow their heart and pick the place that they feel most comfortable.  That is what I did while deciding on a school and I couldn’t imagine going to school anywhere else.  I remember my first visit to Wright State, I was asked by a student if he could take my picture to use for a presentation on diversity given on campus. I told him that I was not a current student and he said that it didn’t matter and wished me the best of luck on my visit and that he hoped that I would end up at Wright State.  Another thing I remember from my visit is that President Hopkins came down before our tour left to introduce himself to all of the possible future students and their parents.  This was my first impression of Wright State, which helped me realize how much Wright State is an open community.

Another piece of advice I would have for new students is that college is full of so many opportunities.  By this I mean that new students should be open to exploring new possibilities.  By trying new things they will be able to make the most out of their time at Wright State and in some instances be more prepared for their future outside of school.