This weeks Senior Spotlight shines on Neuroscience (ACTC) Major, Maggie Singerhouse. The St. Croix Falls, Wisconsin native has definitely taken full advantage of the Katie experience and brings a heartwarming presence to our campus. Maggie’s Netflix go-to is The Office. She has a leopard Gecko named Stephanie California: Lizard Queen. This busy bee is doing fascinating things after graduation this May! Read up on how she’s felt about her four years as an undergrad and what she’ll be doing with her Neuroscience degree!
Q: What has been your favorite memory in college?
Maggie: My favorite memory in college was freshman year when I met some of the most amazing women, who quickly became some of my best friends. I hadn’t yet found that ‘friend group’ yet and was still trying to figure it all out. I was starting to feel pretty down about it, but one Friday night Rachel DuBose and Cheyanne Michaelson showed up at my door and invited me to a game night in St. Mary’s, with about eight other girls. I bonded with so many of them that night, and I loved how all of our different personalities were able to jive. To this day, they are some of my closest friends.
Q: What was your favorite campus event you have attended in your years at St. Kate’s?
Maggie: I’ve loved all the events that have been organized for students to attend on campus so it’s challenging for me to pick just one! I love attending Dew Drop Bop each year–everyone has such high spirits because classes are finally over, the weather is usually beautiful, and the end of the year is in sight. Another one of my favorite events to attend (and plan) has been the Community Work and Learning Final Symposium. This event is held at the end of each semester and is an opportunity for Assistantship Mentoring Program (AMP) Assistants and Career Ready Interns to share the amazing work they do with the St. Kate’s community. It takes a lot of hours to plan, since there are usually about 120 attendees over two days, but when you see the final product–when you see the confidence in the students who were nervous and unsure at the beginning of the semester, when you see how proud the mentors and supervisors are, and when you get to hear about the impact of their work on the greater community–it’s amazing.
Q: Do you prefer to be on or off campus? Why?
Maggie: I lived on campus my first year, and that was really great because it was so close to everything and I felt really connected to the entire community. However, I’d have to say off-campus because it has given me the opportunity to have the real-world experience of paying rent, electric, etc. I feel like I’ve gained a lot of independence this way, and I was fortunate enough to move to a location very close to campus.
Q: How are you involved on campus?
Maggie: I am pretty involved here on campus: I am currently the Editor-in-Chief of The Wheel student newspaper, I am the student coordinator for the Assistantship Mentoring Program (AMP) through the CWL office, I am collaborating on a physiological psychology research project with Dr. Pellegrini of the Biology Department exploring effects of exercise on trust and mood, and I served as Senior Representative on Student Senate this past fall semester.
Here are other positions she has held while at St. Kate’s:
- AMP Student Coordinator
- Primary research collaborator on 3M Student-Faculty Collaborative grant
- Sat on hiring committee for CWL Assistant Director
- Former Career Ready Intern at Mary’s Pence
- Former high-altitude ballooning research assistant (Math & Physics Department)
- NSF-STEM Scholar
- Minnesota Space Grant Scholar
- Former summer Biology lab assistant
Q: How have you dealt with stress during college? Any tips?
Maggie: One of the most amazing things about being a neuroscience major has been learning about how the brain interacts with so many parts of the body. Through this, I’ve learned many techniques about how to relieve stress, which has been great when I’m feeling totally overwhelmed. The most important, I’d say, is getting enough sleep. Sleep will help your body and mind, and if you’re allowing yourself to get the recommended amount of sleep each night, you’ll notice a huge difference in your overall ability to deal with and manage stress. The second most important is exercise – I make sure to workout at least four times per week, even if it’s just a 30-minute run between classes. This allows the stress built up from the sympathetic (fight or flight) nervous system to be relieved which can make all the difference.
Q: What are your plans for next year?
Maggie: I recently accepted a position at Medtronic, where I will be working as an associate engineer intern in their neuromodulation unit. Our team will be working to modify the current technology in deep-brain stimulation (DBS) devices, which help people with movement disorders such as Parkinson’s disease and ALS live more comfortable lives. I also hope to apply for a Master’s or PhD. program for Neuroscience and/or Biomedical Engineering within the next year.
Q: What about St. Kate’s makes you believe that you ended up making the right decision choosing St. Kate’s?
Maggie: Before attending St. Kate’s, I didn’t necessarily understand the importance of social justice or community. When I took TRW first semester, I really invested in some of the readings about social justice, inequality, and empowerment. I think I was pretty naive to real social justice issues, even though I considered myself to be an open and accepting person. However, after learning about all the issues of inequality and injustice that still very much exist in our world today, I really began to believe I chose the right institution to attend for undergrad. After TRW, I really began to pick up on how social justice issues were integrated into almost every class I took and I felt challenged to look at the world from a variety of perspectives. This promoted a lot of growth in me as an individual. I feel incredibly grateful that St. Kate’s has given me the opportunity to consider at these issues, think critically about social justice and social change, and empowered me to take action. Furthermore, after becoming so involved with CWL and other clubs, organizations and departments on campus, I felt that I was truly part of a community and I began to understand how important it is to have a strong, collaborative support network that I could contribute to. I learned a lot throughout these past four years a St. Kate’s, and I truly think there is something special about this university and the individuals who choose to attend.
Wow! Isn’t she awesome? I may be biased because I just happen to work with her in the Center for Community Work and Learning, but I have truly enjoyed my short time with Maggie and have learned so many valuable things about our work and college as a whole. From a first year’s perspective, Maggie has been a wonderful senior role model.
Maggie, I am so so happy for you and I will miss seeing you at 8:30 am. Haha, I hope you will be able to sleep in more. Her Campus St. Kate’s would like to thank you for your time and allowing us to shine a light on you for this article. We congratulate you on your accomplishments and on your graduation! We would also like to congratulate you on your new job at Medtronic and wish you the best of luck in furthering your education. Your hard work has paid off. YOU GO GIRL!