Whether a student aims to advance right into the workforce or continue to graduate school, Emmanuel College’s unique blend of liberal arts and sciences aims to produce well-rounded and insightful graduates who are ready for the next phase of their lives: in their career or their education.
Eight recent graduates, across all programs within the School of Science & Health, shared what elements of their Emmanuel journey prepared them to take the next big leap in their education.
Ranging from research opportunities and personalized faculty support to well-rounded course loads and small class sizes, these Ph.D. candidates – currently in programs from Boston to North Carolina – are using their Emmanuel foundation to thrive in their new setting and readying themselves to lead in their specialized fields.
Check in with recent alums on their ongoing Ph.D. program experiences!
Carrie Rodriguez '21 - Ph.D. in Biology - MIT
Carrie Rodriguez '21 joined the MIT Biology Ph.D. program in 2023 and aims to one day be a professor. From her time at Emmanuel, she lists her humanities-based course load as one of the most crucial takeaways: helping to develop her problem solving and communication skills. “There is inherent value in the humanities,” Rodriguez said, “a scientist without regard to ethics, literature or the broader world is limited in perspective and risks overlooking the societal impact of their work.” Rodriguez began doing research at Emmanuel as a first-year, and eventually won a Goldwater Scholarship in 2020. “The award, made possible by the biology department’s belief in me, opened many doors for me as a young scientist. I remain close to several of my professors from Emmanuel, who I now consider to be lifelong mentors,” Rodriguez said.

Emma Stevens '22 - Ph.D. in Chemistry and Chemical Biology - Northeastern
Emma Stevens' '22 interest in computational chemistry bloomed at Emmanuel, where she became determined to find a way to combine chemistry and computer science into a career path. Now enrolled in a Ph.D. program at Northeastern University's Department of Chemistry and Chemical Biology, she is doing just that. As an undergraduate, she saw Emmanuel's small class sizes as a true advantage, helping her form lasting connections with professors and receiving personalized mentorship. Now it's translated into her Ph.D. program, where she has always felt incredibly prepared. "If anything, my time in graduate school has left me even more impressed with the quality of education I received at Emmanuel," Stevens said.

Shane Mitchell '21 - Ph.D. in Biomedical Sciences - Albert Einstein College of Medicine
For Shane Mitchell '21, one of the most formative experiences he had at Emmanuel College was listening to a talk given by Associate Professor of Biology Anupama Seshan, Ph.D., where he first learned about what it takes to earn a Ph.D. and how to get involved in faculty research on campus. From there, his research at Emmanuel guided his interest in exploring research as a career. "I will always be grateful for being able to attend Emmanuel," Mitchell said, "the class sizes allowed me to get to know the professors and learn more about the paths they had taken to get where they are today – and being able to learn from them gave me invaluable insight on how I would need to proceed to shape my future,” Mitchell said.

Keren Santanello '20 - Ph.D. in Biological and Biomedical Sciences - Harvard University
Keren Santanello '20 is currently enrolled in her Ph.D. program at Harvard University, where she is doing research focused on neuroimmunology. As a first-gen undergraduate and graduate student, she said that pursuing a science degree and aiming for Harvard often felt unattainable - but through her dedication and a foundation of mentorship, research opportunities and access to resources, she is now fully underway on that dream. “The supportive community at Emmanuel gave me the confidence to pursue ambitious goals, and the well-rounded curriculum ensured that I graduated with not just technical expertise, but also the communication and critical thinking skills for a multidisciplinary fields like neuroimmunology," Santanello said.

Sydney Iacoi '20 - Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology - University of Rhode Island
As a neuroscience major and psychology minor at Emmanuel, Sydney Iacoi '20 made sure to follow advice she received from alumni to prioritize research and clinical experience to bolster her resume. Now while enrolled in a clinical psychology Ph.D. program at the University of Rhode Island, Iacoi has since returned to Emmanuel to echo that same advice to current students. A number of those hands-on experiences, like working in a research lab at Harvard University, an internship at a pediatric neuropsychologist's private practice and more helped pave her way toward being accepted into a Ph.D. program. "Through my classes and great mentorship, I was able to gain the knowledge I needed to form my career goals and aspirations," Iacoi said.

Rylie Bolarinho '22 - Ph.D. in Physical Chemistry - Boston University
One of the best decisions Rylie Bolarinho ’22 thinks she made at Emmanuel College was joining Professor of Chemistry Dr. Aren Gerdon’s research group. Not only was it where she discovered her passion for chemistry, but the incredible support from the Chemistry department helped her to flourish as a student. “They knew us and cared about how we were doing. I wasn’t just a name in the classroom,” Bolarinho said. Now at Boston University, her research group uses advanced microscopy to study the chemical fingerprint of diseases. She didn't go into the program with a ton of experience on that specific topic, but said she still had all the tools she needed thanks to her extensive research experience at Emmanuel.

Sabrina Pires '24 - Ph.D. in Biological and Biomedical Sciences - University of North Carolina Chapel Hill
Sabrina Pires '24 began her Ph.D. program at the University of North Carolina Chapel Hill in August 2024, shortly after she graduated from Emmanuel. As an undergraduate, she got the opportunity to try out research - even when she wasn't sure if she would pursue it as a career. Without that opportunity, she said she might never have discovered the passion for research that set her on the path to a Ph.D., and her combined majors, neuroscience and biology, proved to be foundational for the next step in her education. "I never feel lost in my classes as it talks through cellular/molecular dynamics to genetic dispositions and behavior models. I feel really prepared despite being one of the younger people in my program," she said.

Hannah Sullivan '22 - Ph.D. in Biostatistics - Boston University School of Public Health
After working as a clinical assistant at Boston Children's Hospital for two years, Hannah Sullivan '22 began working towards her Ph.D. in biostatistics at Boston University. Sullivan went into her Emmanuel journey knowing she wanted to pursue statistics, but said the blend of liberal arts and sciences at the College allowed her to explore different applications of the humanities. Because of that, she graduated having explored a number of topics - like infectious diseases, economics and philosophy - and having visualized the many ways she can use her statistics knowledge in a variety of real-world applications.

Foundational elements in transitioning to a Ph.D. program
Multidisciplinary Blend of Liberal Arts and Sciences
Emmanuel’s well-rounded approach to teaching the sciences was a huge asset for Keren Santanello ’20. A first-generation undergraduate and graduate student, Santanello started her Ph.D. program at Harvard University in September 2024.
She said Emmanuel’s integration of the liberal arts and sciences was one of the most enriching parts of her education. “This interdisciplinary approach not only strengthened my academic foundation but also broadened my perspective, allowing me to recognize the deep connections between science and the human experience – it fostered a greater understanding of how my work can make a meaningful impact on society,” Santanello said.
Along with the support of the Emmanuel community, which helped spur her on to achieve her goals that she said felt unattainable at times, the well-rounded curriculum ensured she graduated with all that she needed to succeed and thrive in the field.
“I graduated not just with technical expertise, but also the communication and critical thinking skills for a multidisciplinary field like neuroimmunology,” Santanello said.
Consistent Support from Faculty
Emma Stevens ’22 saw the small class sizes as a true advantage, which helped her form lasting connections with professors and receive personalized mentorship. For example, when Stevens expressed interest in machine learning, Associate Professor of Physics Dr. Allen Price started a new project for her, as well as spent his own time to learn about the concepts and provide her with guidance along the way.
Stevens’ interest in computational chemistry bloomed at Emmanuel, where she paired a Data Analytics minor with her Chemistry major. After taking her Intro to Programming course, she said she “had to find a way to combine chemistry and computer science.” Now having been enrolled in Northeastern University’s Department of Chemistry and Chemical Biology since September 2022 she is using that blend of topics in her Ph.D. program.
And not once has she felt unprepared – quite the opposite. “If anything, my time in graduate school has left me even more impressed with the quality of education I received at Emmanuel,” Stevens said.
Attending multiple career development events at Emmanuel College is what helped Sydney Iacoi ’20 form her expectations about getting into a clinical psychology Ph.D. program. She’s been enrolled in one at the University of Rhode Island since 2023, and recently returned to Emmanuel to speak on an alumni panel herself.
Iacoi took the advice she received from alumni – to prioritize research and clinical experience to bolster her resume – and pursued a number of internships and research roles both during and after her time at Emmanuel, all of which culminated into a full-time research assistant role, and later, acceptance into her Ph.D. program.
“Something I always boast about my alma mater is: as a function of it being a small liberal arts and sciences college, you are able to forge amazing relationships with the professors. They were some of the biggest influences on my career and helped spark my love for psychology. They were a tremendous resource that I might not have felt comfortable tapping into if I had gone to a bigger institution,” Iacoi added.
Early Access to Research
Joining Professor of Chemistry Dr. Aren Gerdon’s research group was one of the best decisions Rylie Bolarinho ’22 said she made at Emmanuel. The research group is where Bolarinho found her true passion for chemistry – and led her down the path to the Physical Chemistry Ph.D. program at Boston University – which she has been a part of since 2022.
Though she said she didn’t have much experience on the subject matter of her program, she had all the tools she needed to succeed from her research experience at Emmanuel.
Without the opportunity to pursue research at Emmanuel, Sabrina Pires ’24 might not have gotten the inspiration for her path to a Ph.D. Trying it out, even when she wasn’t sure if she’d pursue it as a career, was a stepping tone that led her to love research – and at Emmanuel it was made accessible early on. “Emmanuel’s location is unbeatable and made juggling research and schoolwork possible,” she said.
Pires, who began her Ph.D. program at the University of North Carolina Chapel Hill in August 2024 was a double major in neuroscience and biology. She said Emmanuel is truly a school where undergraduates can get the most out of their four years: “It was a safe place to ask questions about myself, have challenging conversations about my future early on, and get the tools necessary to explore those interests.”
With a blend of innovative liberal arts and sciences courses, project-based learning, inclusive research and a myriad of research and internship opportunities, these students and more within the School of Science & Health are leaving prepared for the next phase of their lives.