Marcela Muricy, a senior Biology and WGSS student here at Stony Brook, is the recipient of The A. Sanchez Award for 2021. We are proud to have such an ambitious student from our department be presented with this prestigious award! We interviewed her in regards to her achievement and other aspects of her education. Congratulations Marcela!
What does receiving this scholarship mean to you?My mom has been pushing me to be successful for as long as I can remember, teaching me (age 8) how to take notes on biology, to teaching me (age 16) how to manage my finances and work hard. She’s the most motivated person I’ve ever met and (fortunately) my best friend. It’s been a pleasure of mine to make her just as proud as she’s made me, and this scholarship is nothing short of that. I’m also a very goal-oriented person, which is very hard as a pre-med student because your primary goal is only 15 years from now. So, you have to set mini-goals of understanding gene regulation in bacteria and memorizing 15 different molecules in a biochemical pathway. This scholarship, then, is very valuable to me as something I worked hard for in the short-term. They say “behind every great man is a great woman”, and I believe it works the other way too — at least for me personally. My boyfriend and best friend, Joshua Gershenson, has been my right hand man through everything and given me the grit to persist and be passionate in all I do. He’s really pushed me to succeed, and I’m sure it won’t stop anytime soon, so this scholarship, to me, is also a sign of gratitude to him.
What are the qualifications to receive this scholarship? You must be someone who has shown outstanding academic achievement, scholarly promise and service and leadership to the community, a Latino/Latina juniors and first semester seniors in the College of Arts and Sciences with a minimum 3.0 cumulative GPA. The application requires a current undergraduate transcript, C.V. indicating any relevant academic prizes, community and work experiences, two faculty letters of recommendation, and a brief (2-page maximum) essay that explains your accomplishments, major academic interests and how your current studies relate to your future professional or intellectual development.”
What was your reaction when you learned you received this scholarship? I was very surprised. I personally know so many incredible Hispanic students at this school and was grateful to even be in the same space as them. I felt so proud not just of myself and the work I’ve put in, but also of the sacrifices my mother’s made in my name.
The happiness hasn’t died just yet, and I’m not sure when it will. My mom’s face every time she tells someone new in our family (there’s a lot of us lol) is priceless and unforgettable.
Are you putting your award towards school or something else? I’m putting my award towards my school loans and any other academic costs I need to cover.
What are you looking forward to/ what are your goals after receiving your degree(s)? After receiving my degree, I hope to attend medical school and become an MD. At the moment, I have my eyes set on gynecology and endocrinology, but I’m open to other passions I might find on the way. I’m also very interested in conducting research (hopefully on a global scale). I believe the overlapping skills of research and medicine to be the true step forward and the future of innovative treatments and accessible medicine for underprivileged communities. I constantly struggle between my passion for Brazilian culture, and my horror at the pain their poor citizens must endure. I do not wish to feel that same pain in the US, but rather to take action against it. It is not just to provide quality services only to those that have found a way to play the game of capitalism, while others are suffocated by it.
What made you decide to pursue the WST major? I decided to take an introduction to WST course my freshman semester with Dr. Cristina Khan, which just piqued my interest so much. It fed my curiosity on hidden histories and a broad perspective of what it means to be human— I didn’t want to stop learning about it.
What has your experience been like in the WST major? It’s been a pleasure. Every single WST professor is incredible, not just in how passionate they are but also in their ability to teach and convey that passion to their students. I’ve bonded and learned from Dr. Khan so much since first taking her class, and am very grateful for that opportunity. I’ve also had the chance to explore my interests on the diversity of humans, not just in the racial sense, but also in the way of thought, sexuality, gender, and protest. Every bit of it has been a chance of discovery and broadening of perspective. I want to give a huge thank you to Dr. Khan and everyone in the WST department for an amazing past few years 🙂