Lizzy Terrell’s Journey – From Exemplary Student to a Great Career

Lizzy’s Journey

Elizabeth "Lizzy" Terrell started her Hood College journey in the fall of 2013 in the Biomedical Science Program, and was an exemplary student and classroom leader. She graduated in 2017 and is now working at the National Institute of Health (NIH), where she started working in 2012 in the Cancer Research Training Award (CRTA) and Intramural Research Training Award (IRTA) program. The Post-Baccalaureate IRTA/CRTA program is designed to provide recent college graduates an opportunity to spend a year doing biomedical research in the resource-rich environment of the NIH. Terrell has worked in Dr. Deborah Morrison’s lab for five years and has focused on studying proteins involved in cancer-related cell-signaling.  

Lizzy’s Perspective on Hood

She feels that “coming from a larger undergraduate institution, the best thing about Hood was the smaller class size.” She also loved the fact that she was able to take classes at night/after work, and that those classes were directly applicable to her current job. The entire process of drafting, writing, and defending her thesis was invaluable. “The classwork helped to shape my writing skills, and the faculty on my thesis committee were incredibly supportive, encouraging, and helpful in refining the (very) rough drafts into the final product.” Although the thesis track/writing process is a long and labor intensive process, it has proven to be the most valuable part of her degree by developing a wide range of skills for independent research and writing. Terrell mentions how successfully defending her thesis was by far the best and most memorable moment! Among her other notable accomplishments were receiving Hood’s "Outstanding Student in Biomedical Science" award and winning the school’s “3-Minute Thesis” competition.

Advice for Other Students

If she were to do one thing differently from the beginning, it would be to explore more job options. “I was pretty lucky to end up in a job I love, but it could have turned out a lot different!” In retrospect, she believes it would have been best to sit down and think through what was most important for her in a job, then actively seek it out, and be more assertive in obtaining it. When asked what she would like to share with other students in similar programs, Terrell instantly mentions the importance of a goalpost. “Think about where you want your degree to take you and what you want out of the program; what skills you hope to gain or what career are you aiming for. Enroll in classes specifically tailored towards your individual goals.” She also believes it is important to have a timeline. When do you want your degree to be finished? Work backward from there and set smaller, short-term goals to stay on track. “The faculty want you to succeed, and are incredibly useful resources for both career advice and timeline guidance.”