Shadé Eleazer ’22 Accepted to Yale Biological and Biomedical Sciences PhD Program

You’ve been accepted as a PhD student on the Neuroscience track of the Combined Program in the Biological and Biomedical Sciences at Yale University for Fall 2022. How has MMC prepared you for this incredible opportunity. And how have you prepared yourself?

SE: Marymount has helped to prepare me in a multitude of ways. I think mainly through my science courses. The ways in which I have prepared myself is through applying myself to different research internships around the city including Mount Sinai Hospital, Weill Cornell Medicine, and now The Rockefeller University. These research opportunities have helped expose me to research environments and foster my love of neuroscience. These opportunities have helped me also understand that I would like to pursue neuroscience in a higher education setting. I have also completed many volunteer opportunities around the city, which has also helped me find my passion for community outreach, which is something I enjoy and would like to continue in graduate school.

What do you love most about studying Biology and Neuroscience?  

SE: What I love the most is the diversity and room for exploration. Biology and neuroscience explain how the brain modulates how we interpret the world. If we can better understand the brain, it can cure a lot of the issues that we humans face, including neurological disorders and diseases.

What do you hope to do after completing your PhD?

SE: After completing my PhD, I hope to stay in academia and one day run my own lab.

What words of advice would you give to a current or prospective student that hopes to follow a similar path?

SE: One piece of advice would be to not be scared to take chances and ask questions about things. Being curious and taking leaps of faith have helped me earn different research positions and not be scared to pursue a PhD.

Did any professors or programs at MMC shape your success?

SE: I think that all the science faculty have helped me be successful at MMC and in positions around the city. I am thankful for all their support and recommendations throughout my years. I am especially thankful for Dr Hunter; her continued encouragement has really helped me become confident and excel.

Any quotes that you live by?

SE: “The unexamined life is not worth living” [attributed to Socrates]. I think this quote not only encapsulates the curiosity that I have around science but also encourages people to be curious about life in general.

As you bask in this amazing accomplishment, think back to your 10-year-old self. If you could go back in time and tell her one thing, what would it be?

SE: Before coming to Marymount, I used to dance pre-professional in high school. Science is a much different path than being a dancer. So one thing that I would tell myself is that it’s OK to try new things because the path to success is not always linear.