Q&A with Aarion

Class of 2020, Chemistry

How did you find Caldwell University?   At a college fair hosted by the American embassy in the capital of my country. I remember it being in the Hyatt hotel and there I met Jan Marco Jiras, from Caldwell’s Admissions Office.

What was most beneficial for you in being a student at Caldwell University?

The hardworking and friendly professors. They are inspiring and always there to help. It’s not what you would expect. But they all love their students and really want to help. This helped me immensely throughout my courses and semesters at Caldwell.

What do you tell others about Caldwell University? Most people haven’t heard of Caldwell so I usually describe it for them like this – a small Catholic liberal arts college in New Jersey about 40 minutes from New York City. A beautiful campus in a peaceful town. Very quiet.   

Main activities you have been involved in at Caldwell: I was one of the founding members of the African Caribbean Association on campus; we hosted fundraisers and a major annual event called Soca. I also served as an event coordinator and later vice president. I was also a founding member of the Doctors Without Borders Caldwell student chapter serving as secretary. I also helped restart our American Chemical Society student chapter and served as the vice president. I participated in independent undergraduate research on many occasions.

What life lessons have you learned or are you learning through the pandemic?

I’m learning to be adaptable, to adapt to change. I think it’s a very important characteristic to have especially as the world changes as a result of the pandemic. Discipline is important. We must listen to the experts so that we can move on from this pandemic  

Your life after graduation? I am currently pursuing my Ph.D. at the University of Maryland, Baltimore, School of Pharmacy in Pharmaceutical Sciences with a concentration in Computational Biochemistry/Biophysics. I am rotating in the MacKerell Lab at the Center for Computer-Aided Drug Design.

 Factoid or fun fact about you:  I really like plants. As of late, I started adopting more and more of them. The air is so much fresher around now.