Kaitlynn Tracy gives the word motivation a whole new meaning. She is involved in more organizations than your average college student and holds leadership positions in them as well. She has a passion for science that is evident through her roles as a research assistant and Global Brigades program coordinator. Kaitlynn is a role model for women who are pursuing careers in predominately male dominated fields, and that is only part of the reason she is a campus celebrity.
Kaila Parker, a junior who is also in the College of Science and Health, describes Kaitlynn’s ability to balance a school and social life. “She’s super driven, hardworking, and still manages to make time for all the people she truly cares about in her life. She’s such a great friend to have and I definitely look up to her.” You can read more about Kaitlynn’s hard work and see what tips she has for getting involved below!
Year in school: Junior
Activities involved in: I have two jobs: one as an undergraduate research assistant for a professor in the biology department and one as a Chicago Quarter Mentor where I am able to teach a Discover/Explore class. Additionally I belong to the organization called CIRRUS, which prepares students in the various fields of science for graduate school and upcoming internship opportunities. Through that program I was also able to find a research position at the Argonne National Laboratory conducting physics experiments. I am also a program director for the medical brigade through Global Brigades. I am a member of the Honors College Student Government, and also serve as an Honors Ambassador. Additionally, I volunteer at Ann and Robert H. Lurie Children’s Memorial Hospital every week.
What do you hope to do after graduation: I am currently on the fence between pursuing a Ph.D for biophysics, or going to medical school to become a surgeon. I’m probably going to wait until the last possible moment to make a final decision on that one.
What made you want to do research in a lab at DePaul? I had wanted to begin researching at DePaul to gain experience inside of a laboratory. Since I am considering a career in research, I wanted to be exposed to that pathway before I followed it. I mean, I also needed a job and working in a lab seemed like a much better option than working in the food industry, I thought. But I probably would do it for free anyways, actually. I had to stalk Professor Nordstrom for half a year freshmen year until he let me into his lab, however. I’m surprised I didn’t annoy him because I was always in his office or running into him in McGowan. He probably gave me the position because he was sick of me asking about it!
What made you chose a career in science? I went into physics after I had an awful physics teacher in high school. He was horribly sexist and was not shy in his opinion that girls could not go into physics. So when I got to college I decided that I would try one more physics class. I also figured that it was the hardest class I could think of, and I really wanted a challenge. Then I ended up really enjoying the courses, and understanding the material well. I was also influenced to go into the field by my mom, who is an airline pilot. She was one of the first hundred women to become a pilot (not to date her, or anything) so she was a big inspiration to go into a field that was predominantly male and contribute to its diversity.
What made you want to get involved in Global Brigades? I became involved in Global Brigades when I was still in high school, actually! I was at DePaul for a campus visit and heard someone talking about it. I had been looking for an opportunity to do something that was about aid in a developing country for a while, and I decided to pursue the opportunity. So the weekend after I graduated high school I went on my first brigade to Honduras, and fell in love with the program. I stayed involved for two years after, and was eventually voted as a program director!
What was the most challenging part of leading your brigade? The most challenging part of leading the brigade was honestly directing 60 people through the airport on our way there. I was by myself trying to herd everyone, and our first flight was very late so I was really nervous that we would miss our connecting flight! I had no idea what I would do in Houston with 60 people! Not many other parts of the trip were challenging or difficult because I had so much help from the other program directors on the brigade and from the dental brigade.
What is the impact left on the community after completing a medical brigade? Global Brigades really strives to create sustainability in the communities we travel to. Because of this initiative, we try to leave a lasting impact on the communities and help improve their quality of life by providing knowledge of better habits. We don’t want to travel down there to distribute medications and leave; we want to teach them about proper hygiene practices and better health rituals that they can enact after we leave.
What advice would you give others who want to become involved at DePaul? I tell all of the freshmen in my Discover Class to get involved in more things than you want when you’re a freshmen (but the same advice applies to any year of college). As you join a club or organization, sometimes people find that they don’t like them, whether the club was not what they were looking for, there was too much time commitment, or other various reasons. Either way, people drop out of clubs a lot. So if you start out being involved in more than you want, after you drop out of some it is easy to find a balance. Also it’s nice to join things you didn’t think you would be interested in, and finding out that you actually like what it is about! Most importantly, the more clubs you’re in, the more free food you get. I’m serious about that.
Where are you most likely to be spotted on campus? I spend 27 hours of my day (that was not a typo) in the basement of Byrne Hall doing physics. I can’t ever study in the library, so I’m usually there, in Dr. Nordstrom’s biology lab running experiments or the Ray (I’m obsessed with spin classes). I would have also say that you could have found me at Dominick’s a lot, but that tragically is not true anymore.