Our Students

B.S. Cell and Molecular Biology and Psychology, Missouri State University

Erin is originally from Fort Smith, Arkansas but went to Missouri State University in Springfield, Missouri to pursue her undergraduate degrees. In December 2018, Erin graduated Cum Laude from the Honors College with her B.S in Cell and Molecular Biology and her B.S in Psychology. In the summer of 2017, Erin interned for a cardiovascular research group in Wellington, New Zealand where she conducted family history interviews and collected pedigrees. During her undergraduate career, Erin worked in an RNA and DNA research lab on campus and off campus worked as a psychiatric technician on the adult psychiatric unit at CoxHealth. Additionally, Erin held leadership positions in her social sorority and honors fraternity, and volunteered with organizations like Planned Parenthood, crisis hotlines, the Discovery Center in Springfield, and Girls on the Run.

B.S. Genetics, University of Wisconsin- Madison

Caroline Say is from Oklahoma City and graduated from the University of Wisconsin-Madison with a Bachelor’s Degree in Genetics. As an undergraduate, she worked as a lab assistant facilitating studies of transgenic maize for biofuels research, and created a website resource detailing the SNCA gene and its role in Lewy Body Dementia. Caroline gained invaluable experience in medical genetic research as a member of Oklahoma Medical Research Foundation’s Sir Alexander Fleming Scholar class of 2016. There she employed CRSPR/Cas9 technology to study the effects of a Systemic Lupus Erythematosus (SLE) risk variant. These experiences helped Caroline discern her interest in genetic counseling. After graduation, Caroline moved to Chicago, where she worked as an elementary school teaching assistant and gained genetic counseling exposure by shadowing pediatric and cancer genetic counselors at various Chicago and Wisconsin facilities. Caroline also worked as a Crisis Text Line volunteer to develop her counseling skills and experience. In addition, through volunteer activities, Caroline has gained experience working with children with developmental disabilities to encourage their participation in games and activities, encouraging STEM interest in students from underrepresented groups through interactive science experiments, and mentoring pre-adolescent girls in self-esteem and relationship skills using a structured program and physical activity.

B.S. Biochemistry, Carroll University

Courtney earned her bachelor degree at Carroll University with a major in biochemistry and a minor in psychology. As an undergraduate, she did microbiology research at the Medical College of Wisconsin and her senior chemistry  capstone focused on the use of the electrochemical technique of chronoamperometry to measure enzyme kinetics. Courtney's post-graduation areas of research included environmental science, public health, and ophthalmology.  Courtney has also worked as a medical scribe in family practice, a medical assistant in orthopedics, volunteered as an advocate for victims of sexual assault, and volunteered for The Women's Center in Waukesha.  Courtney also interned as a genetic counseling assistant at the UW Cancer Center at ProHealth Care. As a genetic counseling assistant, she had the opportunity to shadow in clinic, construct pedigrees for new patients, contact patients about prior genetic testing, and update patients on VUS results that had been reclassified as negative.

B.A. Psychology, University of Texas at Austin

David is from Houston, Texas. He loves to play soccer, watch NFL, and try out new restaurants.  As an undergraduate student, David volunteered at Integral Care where he taught student life management skills and worked at SAFEPlace, a shelter for men and women fleeing domestic abuse situations. David chose genetic counseling because of the emphasis on both the psychosocial and medical aspects involved in working with a patient.

B.A. Biology, University of North Texas 

Rachel earned her bachelor’s degree from The University of North Texas in Biology with minors in chemistry and Spanish. As an undergraduate, she did bioinformatics research on bacteriophage genomes with the Howard Hughes Medical Institute SEA-PHAGES program. She served as a peer mentor for incoming college students, and was enrolled in the Honors College. After she graduated in 2017, Rachel was a genetic counseling intern at MD Anderson Cancer Center in Houston, Texas where she shadowed genetic counselors, entered patient pedigrees into an electronic database and created patient education handouts. Following her internship, Rachel worked in special education for two years at her former high school, where she served as a one-on-one aide for a student and tutored students with learning disabilities. Rachel also spent the entire summer of 2018 working with an individual with Cornelia de Lange syndrome, assisting her with day-to-day activities. Rachel has a passion for sports, and was a basketball coach for the local Special Olympics team in her hometown of Arlington, Texas. She enjoys watching the Denver Broncos play, eating Mexican food, and traveling.

B.S. in Diagnostic Genetic Sciences, University of Connecticut

Jaime grew up outside of Chicago and attended the University of Connecticut for her undergraduate studies. She graduated with a degree in Diagnostic Genetic Sciences with a concentration in cytogenetics, as well as a minor in Molecular and Cell Biology. For her honors thesis, she studied the impact of proactively curated annotation databases on the reporting of oncologic microarray results. After graduating, Jaime worked in a clinical cytogenetics laboratory in Nashville, Tennessee, where she performed cytogenetic analysis of oncology and constitutional patients. While in Nashville, she also volunteered at the YWCA, tutoring adults studying for their high school equivalency degrees. In her spare time Jaime loves to read, practice yoga, and try out new vegetarian restaurants. 

B.S. Biology, Georgetown University

Sophie is from Lawton, Oklahoma, but grew up outside Oklahoma City. Sophie earned her bachelor’s degree at Georgetown University in Washington, D.C., majoring in Biology and minoring in English. As an undergraduate she served as a Head Teaching Assistant for Foundations in Biology I, where she supervised a team of six teaching assistants and led introductory biology labs. Following her interest in genetics, Sophie worked in a molecular genetics lab studying inositol pyrophosphate phosphatases and their regulation in yeast. Outside of genetics, Sophie is a proud Gilman Scholar, and enjoyed exploring her interest in providing LGBTQ+ inclusive healthcare through study abroad coursework in Denmark, Sweden, and Germany. Following graduation, Sophie followed her passion for community service by providing crisis counseling for survivors of sexual assault on RAINN’s National Sexual Assault Hotline, mentoring aspiring first-generation college students on the Lower East Side with New York Cares, and serving as a co-chef to teens and young adults with Down Syndrome in Kylee’s Kitchen. Sophie also further explored the field of genetic counseling by observing cancer, pediatric, and prenatal genetic counselors in Oklahoma City and in Brooklyn. In her free time, Sophie loves to cook, explore new restaurants and cuisines, travel, thrift shop, and geek out about personal finance.

B.S. in Biology, University of Akron

Alayna is originally from Ohio and attended the University of Akron where she graduate Cum Laude with her B.S. in Biology in 2019 with minors in Chemistry, Psychology, and French. From fall of 2018 to 2020, Alayna served as a genetic counseling assistant at Akron Children’s Hospital, where her duties included taking patients’ family histories over the phone, and preparing records and other materials for patient appointments. She also was able to study abroad in Le Mans, France in 2017 where she interned for the city government and took courses on French history. Alayna held several volunteer and leadership positions between her social sorority and undergraduate groups, as well as volunteered with Crisis Text Line, and a local rape crisis center in Akron. In her free time, Alayna enjoys cross stitching and crocheting, cheering on the Ohio State Buckeyes, exploring OKC, and playing Animal Crossing.

B.S. Biology, Southern Nazarene University

Sarah is originally from Tulsa, Oklahoma and graduated from Southern Nazarene University with a degree in Biology. She became interested in genetic counseling after working and volunteering at Camp Barnabas, a summer camp for people with disabilities. Sarah has been a volunteer classroom aid for nine years at The Little Light House, a tuition-free preschool in Tulsa for young children with special needs. During undergrad, she served as a tutor for the biology department, a student worker in the disability services department, and a member of student council. She travelled to eSwatini in both 2018 and 2019 and worked alongside an HIV/AIDS task force to provide medical care to patients in rural areas of the country. In her free time she enjoys making TikTok videos and visiting local coffee shops.

B.S. Molecular and Cell Biology, Texas A&M University

Ph.D. Genetics and Genomics, Baylor College of Medicine

Meagan earned her Bachelor’s degree in Molecular and Cell Biology from Texas A&M University with a minor in Mathematics. From there, she went on to graduate school at Baylor College of Medicine where she completed a doctoral dissertation on neuron development in a genetic mouse model of an inherited epilepsy disorder, X-Linked Infantile Spasms syndrome. During her Ph.D. training, she realized that she would like to be in a career field with a direct impact on patients and began shadowing genetic counselors in the Houston Medical Center. During her undergraduate and graduate training, Meagan volunteered for several organizations helping people and families with special needs such as Special Olympics of Texas and volunteered for an organization that exposes high school students from underrepresented communities to career fields in science and medicine. In her free time, Meagan enjoys the outdoors hiking with her dog and cycling the lake Hefner loop. Meagan aspires to have a career in genetic counseling that merges her extensive research experience with patient care.