Chidera Olalere

I was doing research in the Summer of 2025. The research took place at Upstate Medical University and I was doing experiments towards my Honors thesis. I really enjoyed building more independence in my ability to run and execute experiments. Working more independently on my project meant that I really got to see how different experiments came together to give us usable results. Nothing gave clear answers on its own, but together, multiple experiments could form a clear picture.

I am currently writing my thesis based on the research I did last year and some of my work with be published in papers my lab is working on. This grant helped me pay for living expenses over the summer

It was a good opportunity to gain greater independence in research and as I think about moving forward into medical school after graduation, that ability to lead my learning while also leaning on the support systems around me is a lesson I hope to keep on applying.