Student Profile: Jane Macdonald
Jane Macdonald feels the biochemistry program has given her the skills to succeed in her ultimate goal of being a cancer researcher while allowing her to pursue her passion for dance.
“Alma was one of the few programs I found that allowed me to be part of a strong science department while continuing my participation in the arts,” the Granville, Ohio senior says.
“Here I can receive the strong science background I need to pursue my future at graduate school while simultaneously having fun both dancing and singing.”
A chemistry major, Macdonald was drawn to the biochemistry program because of the curriculum but also because of the personal attention from professors.
“The professors in these departments want to you learn and are here to help in any way they can. They care about the student and the person. ”
“I've taken difficult classes and had hands-on experience in several labs, guided and independent,” she says.
“I've learned not only the science but much of the discipline, patience and determination needed to pursue a research career.”
“I work with Dr. Beckmann doing independent research, and he is not only concerned with how the research progresses but with how well I understand and enjoy it,” she says.
“The professors in these departments want to you learn and are here to help in any way they can. They care about the student and the person.”
She is involved in a variety of organizations on campus, including the Alma College Dance Company, the Alma College Chorale, Xi Mu Epsilon, the chemistry honorary and Colleges Against Cancer. She also is president of the dance honorary Pi Delta Chi, and a founding member of the a cappella group Pretty in Plaid.
