This fall, Her Campus at Lasell partnered with Her Campus at Holy Cross to interview each other. Her Campus Lasell is thankful for our sister chapters and we want to build relationships with them and tell their stories!
Alissandra Conlon, or Ali, is from Medway, Mass, and is a sophomore at College of the Holy Cross in Worcester, Mass. She majors in Chemistry and minors in Studio Art. Ali has always been interested in STEM fields and knew she wanted to become a doctor after taking AP Bio in high school. When she came to Holy Cross, she decided she liked Chemistry more than Bio and thinks the challenge and hard work are fun. With a Studio Art minor, Ali allows herself time to relieve her stress, which is much needed in a Pre Med track. “I’ve always liked doing art but I would never do it if it wasn’t assigned, so it was an easy way for me to have stress relief.” She explained.
Over the summer, Ali was an orientation leader with another member of Her Campus at Holy Cross. She thought the club sounded interesting but forgot about it for a while until she saw an Instagram post from Her Campus. She got excited and emailed the correspondent an application with a few of her friends and they joined together. Her club meets once a month and writes articles weekly.
Ali decided to attend College of the Holy Cross after she toured the school on a rainy day and fell in love with the beautiful campus. She later returned to the campus for a college interview and thought the admissions member who interviewed her was so inspiring. He encouraged her to follow her dreams to become a woman in medicine and said that he believed in her. After talking to other members of the community and realizing how friendly everyone was, she knew Holy Cross was the college for her.
The biggest role models in Ali’s life are the strong women in her family, specifically her aunts. “There have been a lot of strong women in my life who have inspired me to pursue all of my dreams, no matter how unrealistic they may seem.” She explained. Her aunts have been the final push for her to reach her goals and she knows she will always have their support.
In the future, Ali sees herself with a Ph.D. in Chemistry and running a research lab. On-campus, she is an RA, involved in the Feminist Forum and Eco-Action clubs, as well as community-based learning groups. She has also been a dancer for a long time and enjoys cooking and baking. She’s recently been trying to get into running!
Overall, Ali is a girl with big dreams and goals that she’s not afraid to go after. It was inspiring to meet with her and hear her story!