This week’s campus celeb is one of my suitemates Emma Squire. We became close after we joined the same sorority and lived next door to each other sophomore year. It’s hard to believe we’re both seniors with graduation coming up faster than we’d like. Before we “grow up,” I decided to ask her some questions about her time at Vanderbilt and what she’s been involved in.
What is your major?I am a neuroscience major with a child development minor.
What do you do?I’ve been involved in a bunch of things since I’ve been at Vanderbilt. My sophomore year I went on alternative spring break and camped in the Grand Canyon while doing environmental service work. I’m also a member of Alpha Chi Omega sorority and this past fall I was a Gamma Chi which means I helped freshman girls prepare for and go through sorority recruitment. During my sophomore and junior years I worked in a pharmacology lab in the Vanderbilt Medical center and I actually just got published in two scientific journals for the work I did.
Can you explain your published research?I tested different chemical compounds on brain cells to see what effects they had. The hope was that we would find compounds that could be made into drugs for psychiatric disorders such as depression and schizophrenia.
What did you like most about being a gamma chi?I really liked being able to get to know the freshman girls in my gamma chi group. I feel like during recruitment you can only talk to girls for a short period of time so I liked that I could hang out with them and get to know them in a less formal setting.
What is your favorite memory of Vanderbilt?I loved the first time I went to Rites of Spring, the music festival Vanderbilt puts on every April. It was great seeing all these bands I already listened to live on Alumni lawn. Also I really liked that it was a time to relax and celebrate the end of the semester before finals.