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Annika Fitzpatrick, a senior in Biology at Bryn Athyn College, has recently been accepted into the Molecular and Cell Biology PhD programs at Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore and Thomas Jefferson University in Philadelphia, where she plans to study cancer, virology, viral genetics, or neurobiology.

When she first started applying to graduate programs Annika had very little idea where she stood compared to other students both because very few Bryn Athyn College students in her field apply for graduate programs and because her bachelor’s degree was in the liberal arts. Now she sees her acceptance at Johns Hopkins as proof that she is in a competitive position in her field.

After being home-schooled, Annika chose to get her bachelor’s degree from Bryn Athyn College largely because of the small class sizes and the individual attention she received from teachers, which she says kept her from getting sloppy in her work. She found that because classes were small her teachers could always spot her individual weaknesses and continually helped her fill the holes in her education.

Initially, Annika felt resistant to the liberal arts requirements at Bryn Athyn College, but now she appreciates how it has helped broaden her mind and fill out her education. For example, one of her favorite classes was Dr. Closterman’s “History of Ancient Israel”—a course Annika originally took to fulfill a social science requirement.

Annika also appreciates the opportunities she has had to participate in science research internships through Bryn Athyn College. She says that any lack of on-campus research (due to the fact that the soon-to-be-built Grant R. Doering Center for Science and Research was not available to Annika as it will be to future students at Bryn Athyn College) was more than compensated for by her internship experiences. Annika participated in two internships during college—the summer after her freshman year she was accepted into an internship at Fox Chase Cancer Center, where she studied virology and DNA silencing and reintegration. After her second year at Bryn Athyn College Annika participated in an internship at Thomas Jefferson University doing research on the HIV virus. A research paper is now being prepared for publication based on the research that Annika and another Bryn Athyn College intern, Dan Hultgren, did at Thomas Jefferson University. Annika says that her internships were particularly gratifying because the work she did was real—she used real techniques, worked to solve real problems, and her research has real implications.

The unique combination of religion and science at Bryn Athyn College has also influenced Annika’s education. Unlike many scientists these days, Annika says that her scientific studies have furthered her confidence in God. She says, “Science is one of those things where you can see that God pays attention to details. I am quite certain that God is in the details.” Annika appreciates that a New Church perspective on science and religion means that “you don’t have to blindfold half of your brain—you can pay attention to both.”

Annika will graduate from Bryn Athyn College this spring with a BS in Biology.