Ana
Florina Voica ’07
Home country: Romania
Major: chemistry and biochemistry
 After graduating from Smith
in 2007, I started graduate school at The Scripps Research
Institute, La Jolla, California. I am planning to obtain
a Ph.D. in organic chemistry by 2012. In the past two and
half years, I have been very focused on my research, but
I did get a chance to visit my family back in Romania for
two weeks. After earning my Ph.D., I am considering continuing
in academia or pursuing a career in the pharmaceutical industry.
Without the Coulter scholarship,
I would have never been able to get an education in the United
States, and certainly not at a school like Smith College.
Basically, this scholarship helped me establish the foundation
for my career. I have the utmost appreciation for the education
I have received at Smith. The liberal arts education has
helped me stay balanced in a lab where research is carried
on for 12 hours a day, six days a week.
If I were to tell
future international student about life at Smith, I would
say that no matter how different Smith seems at the beginning,
don’t be afraid to open your
mind and to embrace all the diversity of that place. Live
fully at Smith because there won’t be another time in your
life when you will feel that free. The resources at Smith
are outstanding so take advantage and strengthen your mind,
your body and your spirit while you are there. You will need
that discipline in the real world. Also, don’t forget to
explore all the opportunities for travel. The study abroad
programs are great! So, do your best, work hard and have
faith that everything will pay off!
I have been very fortunate
to have received the generous support of the Wallace H. Coulter
Foundation. I would like to tell future scholarship supporters
that their gift to Smith can bring a young woman from a forgotten
corner of the world on the edge of achieving the American
dream. A good investment in real talent is the utmost value
you can get from your money and the best gift you can make
to the world!
|
