After working as a medicinal chemist in Singapore and embarking on my MD/PhD studies, I have come to appreciate three distinct gifts the Chemistry department gave to me.

First, the courses and seminars gave me the ability to not only critically assess a variety of chemical literature, but to effectively engage in scientific communication. This could be in the context of delivering a group presentation or having meaningful conversations with researchers at onferences.

Secondly, the opportunity to work closely on my honors thesis research in synthetic organic chemistry with Dr. Paley allowed me to cultivate a set of experimental skills that adequately prepared me for working in the professional and graduate school settings.

The final gift has been the chance to develop meaningful friendships with the departmental faculty and staff. I have really enjoyed being able to e-mail, Facebook and call my former professors for both advice and for fun after my time at Swarthmore. Studying chemistry certainly provides the intensity and rigor that Swarthmore is famous for, but moreover has been a satisfying experience.