MCC alumni discusses undergrad research in D.C.
Jessica Unterreiner
Stephanie Villa, alumni of Mesa Community College, went to Washington, D.C. to speak in front of the Council of Undergraduate Research on Nov. 1, 2011.
Villa, now a graduate student at Northwestern University in Evanston, Ill., was suggested to attend the Council of Undergraduate Research conference by Niccole Cerveny, a geology professor at MCC’s Red Mountain Campus who also attended the conference.
Ultimately, the council selected Villa as a panelist. Villa spoke to the council regarding her personal experience with undergraduate research throughout her academic career.
For Villa, being involved in research at the community college level made all the difference.
Villa began as a prospective journalism major and eventually declared a double major in business and computer information systems.
She enrolled in a biology class for non-majors in what was supposed to be her final semester at MCC before she transferred to the W.P. Carey School of Business at Arizona State University. To her surprise, in the introductory level biology course, Villa said she “found her calling.”
“I had never even given thought to science as a career before my experience with undergraduate research,” said Villa.
As a result, Villa changed her major and spent two additional semesters at MCC before transferring to ASU in 2008 to complete her biology degree.
During her time at ASU, Villa continued to participate in undergraduate research, specifically through the School of Life Sciences Undergraduate Research (SOLUR) program.
However, when asked how research at ASU compared to MCC, Villa replied, “I had an amazing undergraduate research mentor at ASU, but the level of personal interaction with professors that I had at MCC is far beyond what I experienced at ASU.”
The ability community college professors have to provide individual attention to students is one of the reasons research is especially important at two year institutions.
In addition to Villa and Cerveny, Judith Marwick, the provost at Harper Community College in Illinois, and Jim Tufts, an undergraduate researcher at Harper were in attendance.
Professors, researchers, and students alike presented to Congress representatives, the National Science Foundation, and the National Institutes of Health at the conference.
“I attended the conference to give the perspective of a student who has gone through the undergraduate research experience, and gone on to put it to use in my life,” said Villa. “The audience at the meeting seemed to be very receptive and appreciative of the message, so I think that we had a great success.”
In addition to relaying her message about the importance of participating in research to Congress, Villa believes the message is important to relay to students.
“I think that even if you do not plan to go into the sciences or a research-based career, undergraduate research is a great asset when applying to jobs or transferring to a four-year university. It demonstrates intellectual engagement beyond what is required of you in the classroom, and a commitment to learning and developing,” said Villa.
