CDI Scholars Are... Defying the Odds
Jennifer never expected to be a scientist. Now she has a PhD.
Jennifer and other members of the Class of 2010 form a human pyramid.
Jennifer, CDI Class of 2010, discovered her passion for science during a rigorous class her sophomore year of high school. Her parents had always emphasized the importance of education, but it wasn’t until that class that things truly clicked for Jennifer. When the opportunity arose later that year to apply to become a CDI Scholar, she took it.
As a CDI Scholar, Jennifer considered brand new possibilities. “I would have never applied to Boston College, or most of the schools I applied to, without CDI,” she shared. “I had no idea what existed outside of state schools.”
She accepted her place at Boston College sight unseen. Her first plane ride ever was to her college orientation! There, she was part of a two week immersion program for first-generation-to-college students where she immediately found community – including with fellow CDI alumni Arlo, now a journalist in Colorado.
Massachusetts quickly became her home. A work study position she held in 2012 paved the way for her future career in biotech. “That first professor who saw my potential gave me a chance, just like CDI did, and continued to projectile me towards more amazing opportunities.” After graduation, she stayed in the area, first taking a research technician role with the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute and Harvard Medical School. Her next role was an industry job, where her hiring manager had also been a first-generation-to-college student. “He took a chance on me as a 6-month contractor. 10 years later, we’re still friends, and I consider him a mentor.”
Throughout her academic and professional experience, the opportunity to connect with others who have had similar life experiences has proved invaluable for Jennifer. “He strongly advocated for my conversion to a full-time employee, promoted me twice while I was there, offered his network as a resource and taught me so much scientifically and about financial literacy that has helped me set myself up for success.”
It was that manager, as well as others at her job, who encouraged Jennifer to pursue her PhD. In 2022, Jennifer successfully defended her dissertation, earning a Doctor of Philosophy in Biochemistry, Cell Biology and Developmental Biology from Emory University. “I included a shout out to CDI in my dissertation acknowledgments!”
Following graduation from her PhD, Jennifer returned to Massachusetts where she has recently become a homeowner – a fact that still amazes her. “If teenage me at Wheaton High School knew that 15 years later, this would be my life – I am sure she would not have believed me.”
Throughout it all, Jennifer is awash with gratitude for the opportunities and support she has had along the way. “I get often emotional thinking about how much I’ve grown because CDI, and their supporters, wanted to help bridge the gap for first-generation college students like me.”
Jennifer is playing her part to support “younger versions of myself.” At Emory, she held leadership roles in the 1915 Scholars program and for the Emory FLIP (first-gen/low-income) program, both of which are aimed at providing support to first-generation-to-college students on the transition to their new educational environment through creating a community of supporters. She’s even had the opportunity to mentor other CDI Scholars, including a fellow Wheaton High School alum. “We still chat to this day – the most amazing thing is that now he’s a PhD student at Emory in the Neuroscience program. It really feels full circle.”
Jennifer often looks back at the experiences she had as a CDI Scholar and the ways those experiences, and the relationships she cultivated, have shaped her life. It is easy to put herself back in the shoes of her teenage self. Though so much has changed in her life, she still remembers those high school and college years fondly.
“My meetings with CDI staff… getting shuttled around in a van to SAT tutoring sessions (I still remember the password to buzz into the CDI office!)… college visit tours and building a human pyramids at the Marks’ home… Thank you – and thank you again. I have immense gratitude to have been a part of such an incredible organization.“
Your support of CDI extends beyond the impact it has on our Scholars’ education – it lays the groundwork for the careers and lives of which they’ve dreamt. By supporting the community and conditions in which they can thrive, you help CDI Scholars build networks for professional and personal success, and make it possible for them to give back to the next generation of first-generation-to-college students.
