My position as a Discovery Postbaccalaureate Research Education Program (PREP) Scholar is to engage in comprehensive professional development experiences and workshops that strengthen my professional skills. This program invests in individuals, like myself, who come from a diverse background to pursue a doctorate (PhD) in biomedical research. During my time as a PREP scholar, I will obtain research experience that will allow me to become a competitive candidate for graduate programs that meet my interests in genetics, molecular biology, and cancer biology. This research experience will also introduce me to cutting-edge techniques and knowledge that will help me in the foreseeable future.

I actively participated in the Undergraduate Research Initiative for Scientific Enrichment (RISE) program for two years. Through this program, I have undergone intensive training in research techniques such as DNA isolation, polymerase chain reaction (PCR), cell culturing, gel electrophoresis, and more. Putting these skills into practice, I was engaged in scientific research under the guidance of my mentor, Dr. Danielle Graham, the Department Chair of the Biological and Forensic Sciences at Fayetteville State University. The research goal was to study antibiotic-resistance genes in soil bacterial isolates. Based on preliminary data, I was awarded a student research award by the Yarbrough Research Grant, through the North Carolina Academy of Sciences. The overall goal of this research is to advance our understanding of microbe-microbe interactions, thereby contributing to the fields of molecular biology and microbiology. Our findings have revealed that clinically relevant and naturally occurring antibiotic-resistance genes are detected in various soil isolates.