I first met Stephany Ramos ’17 during orientation in our dorm, Williston. At the time, we bonded over the fact that we liked the same bands and television shows. After many more breakfasts, lunches, dinner and chat sessions, I have learned that not only does Steph have great taste in entertainment but she’s also a sweet, smart and funny person. Not to mention, a great friend! Get to know Steph, this week’s Campus Profile.
Tell me about where are you from:
I’m from a little island called Maui, Hawaii. Actually, even though my island is larger than the neighboring island of Oahu, it is still less populated. Like we just got a Target three years ago! Besides that, this place of beaches and poke (if you love sashimi, I highly recommend), has been my home for the past 15 years.
How does the weather at Amherst compare to where you are from?:
LOL! Ok I actually like the weather at Amherst compared to home. Here, I get to experience four seasons! Back home it’s either really sunny or really rainy. Oh and we can’t forget the humidity! Ah…Humidity, my good old friend.
Why did you choose to attend Amherst? My requirements for schools when I was applying to colleges were very simple: (1) it had to have a neuroscience program (lol back when I thought that’s what I wanted to do), and (2) be off the rock (fairly simple right?). Luckily for me, Amherst was a partner school in the Questbridge program that fit these requirements. Then when I did get in, my decision was also influenced by the fact that Amherst paid for me to come to the diversity open house all the way from Hawaii! I kind of fell in love with the campus from that visit.
What are you interested in both academically and leisurely?:
Academically, I have two main branches of interest. As a biology major, I get super excited when I get to learn and teach others about microbes! Did you know bacteria can regulate their gene expression based on the presence of other bacteria? This process is called Quorum Sensing! Then as a statistics major, I enjoy wrangling, analyzing, and (as my stats advisor would say) thinking with data. When I’m not in lab or in R, I enjoy binge watching Netflix shows (SOUE and Stranger Things, anyone?) and going on bubble tea runs with friends.
What are you passionate about the most?:
Currently? My thesis. If you are interested in hearing me go on about a monospecific symbiotic relationship between a cute Hawaiian bobtail squid and a Gram-negative bioluminescent bacteria called Vibrio fischeri, lmk! (I also have pictures/videos!)
Tell me the best memory of your first year:
Oh my goodness, there’s just so many! From watching movies in McCaffrey with “The Procrastinating Film Society” (disclaimer, not an actual club lol) to Val sitting for hours with fellow Willistonites, it’s really hard to pick just one. However, if I had to pick a memory I would probably go with my first nice memory of freshman year which is when basically everyone in Williston played a very fun alternate version of spoons together!
What are your plans for the rest of your time at Amherst and beyond:
LOL Good question! As a second semester senior this is something that I have been thinking about a lot. Beyond Amherst, I wish to continue my endeavor to reconcile my love of biology and statistics by exploring the avenue of bioinformatics (but if not, data science and/or microbiology is fine too!). I guess just time will tell where I end up! Then, in terms of what I still want to do at Amherst before graduating, I want to find a way to get closure with the campus. Completing my thesis, finding a job, and passing stats comps would definitely contribute to this, yes, but for me this also means letting friends and faculty that I have become close to know how much they have meant to me these past four years. Without them, I don’t know how I could have made it through this very rigorous academic setting.
What is the best compliment you’ve received?:
Steph, when you clip your hair like that, you kind of look like an anime character