91³ÉÈ˵¼º½

Why did you choose 91³ÉÈ˵¼º½?

I chose 91³ÉÈ˵¼º½ for a myriad of reasons. One of the major ones was that I was able to play water polo there on the NCAA team.Ìý

Second, both of my parents went to 91³ÉÈ˵¼º½, and while not the determining factor, it did influence my decision.ÌýÌý

And then also, 91³ÉÈ˵¼º½ had a PhD granting institution, meaning that the chemistry department did have ongoing and active research at the PhD level. So those three factors are predominantly why I chose 91³ÉÈ˵¼º½.Ìý

How did 91³ÉÈ˵¼º½ prepare you for what you're doing now?Ìý

The combination of experiences I had at 91³ÉÈ˵¼º½, I would say, areÌýpretty unrivaledÌýin terms of the opportunities I was able to take on.Ìý

Water polo was great. It provided me with the framework, the team and the discipline that I needed toÌýorganize my schedule andÌýall ofÌýthose things. And the coaching staff is obviously great. My teammates were my best friends.

And then I was also part of Alpha Chi Sigma, which is the chemistry fraternity on campus, and that really got me involved with the students and with the chemistry department. That provided me a lot of opportunity to do outreach into the Stockton community. We did a lot while I was there.

The last thing is obviously theÌýfaculty. I mean the faculty are really the reason I was so successful in graduate school. They provided me with fundamentals that I needed to be able to succeed on an academic level. And my research adviser,ÌýDr.ÌýJianhua Ren, as well as Jerry Tsai, the two of them together really guided and pushed me to be successful in my research.ÌýThey pushed me to be an academic.

What kind of research did you do as an undergraduate?Ìý

When I was with Dr. Ren, I worked on computational and experimental approaches to determining the acid-based properties of small bio-active molecules. In more simple terms, IÌýcalculated how acidic or basic some of these small molecules such as ibuprofen and others synthesize. I also worked with Dr. Ren synthesizing small peptides and characterizing the acid base properties of bio-active small molecules, but with both computational and experimental approaches.

We wereÌýthen able to provide other chemists with the numbers that can be used to carry out further experiments that may have more downstream effects that have to do with, for example, drug development.

Tell us what motivated you to raise money for the Stauffer Challenge.Ìý

A number ofÌýthings just came together at the right moment. I had heard that there was this Stauffer Foundation project, and they wanted my input.

For me, it was a big moment because it would mean that I got to leave 91³ÉÈ˵¼º½ in a better place thanÌýIÌýfound it — forever.ÌýI got to give back in a real way to the department that meant so much to me.

How did you do it? Who did you go to?Ìý

WeÌýactually hadÌýaccrued a large amount of that donation from notebook sales over multiple years since I had been there — on-campus sales of notebooks and food items. We did a lot of like bake sales and we sold a lot of used donations of stuff you would need to work in a lab like goggle, etc.ÌýSo,Ìýit was basically on-campus sales.Ìý

What is there about 91³ÉÈ˵¼º½ that you hope never changes?Ìý

Oh,Ìýthe people. I mean, the faculty in the community and the staff, I guess just the community of 91³ÉÈ˵¼º½ at large. There's just something about being there that really is just comforting. There is something about being on campus. YouÌýreally justÌýfeel like you're at home. I always felt at home and safe at 91³ÉÈ˵¼º½.Ìý

IÌýreally enjoyed my time there. IÌýwent back this last summer and I just re-embraced that same feeling. I hadn’t been back since I graduated, and it just felt great.Ìý

Do you have a favorite memory?Ìý

I have so many. I was very lucky to be part of a team that went to an NCAA championship in my last year. Being a part of the stuff for the Stauffer Foundation was tremendous. I mean, I made so many memories with so many friends, IÌýcan'tÌýreallyÌýpick one.