At Home and Abroad

Krista Dionne

Krista Dionne '15

Krista Dionne is, in a word, multifaceted. The neuroscience major is headed toward a career as a physician by way of Málaga, The Great Gatsby and feminism. And while she made a new home at Dickinson among friends and professors she won't soon forget, she also recently discovered Dickinson's international presence firsthand. Read on to see what makes Dionne tick, what her internships were like and what's on the horizon.

Major:

Neuroscience.

 

Clubs and organizations:

Resident advisor, Writing Center tutor and member of the Neuroscience Club.

 

Why I chose Dickinson:

From the moment I walked onto Dickinson’s campus, I knew it was a special place. It sounds cliché, but I toured more than 20 schools, and something about Dickinson just felt right. I am so glad that I found Dickinson, because it was definitely the right decision for me. Dickinson feels like home, and I love the professors and the friends that I have made here. Everyone is warm and inviting, and that just isn’t something you find everywhere.

 

My abroad experience:

I studied abroad in Málaga, Spain, for a summer immersion program right after my first year at Dickinson. It was an amazing experience and definitely put me outside of my comfort zone. The highlight was traveling and learning about a culture that was different than mine. Talking to my host family and professors from Málaga, I was able to learn a lot more than I could have in a classroom, and it’s an experience I will never forget.

 

Fun story:

One day [in Málaga] I was walking to the beach with a Dickinson T-shirt on, and this woman stopped me and in very clear English asked me if I went to Dickinson. She told me that she was an alum and that she had studied abroad in Málaga while studying at Dickinson, met her future husband and decided to move there after graduation. It just reminded me that Dickinsonians are a wonderful, global community!

 

Favorite professor:

[Adjunct Professor of Biology] Meredith Rauhut is one of my favorite professors. I had her my first semester at Dickinson, and each semester since I have made it a point to get tea or lunch with her. She has been incredibly supportive of my goals and dreams and has done everything in her power to help me achieve them. She has been an excellent resource, and I am incredibly thankful for everything she has done for me.

 

Post-Dickinson plans:

Go to medical school and become a doctor. My big, long-term dream is to run a clinic in either a highly Spanish-speaking area or abroad.

 

Favorite book:

The Great Gatsby.

 

Favorite movie:

Miracle on 34th Street.

 

Favorite place on campus:

Rector Science Complex.

 

Favorite Dining Hall food:

The KOVE’s roasted vegetable sandwich with feta cheese.

 

In a perfect world, …

… equality would not be something we fight for; it would just exist. I’ve done a lot of academic and personal reading about feminism and a variety of equal-rights movements recently, and I think it’s an incredibly intriguing social problem of our time. My classes at Dickinson sparked my interest in these issues, and I have spent time discussing them with friends and classmates. I think more needs to be done to guarantee basic human rights and treatment of all people, regardless of gender, sexual identity, ethnic group or any other category.

 

My biggest influence:

My mom. She taught me how to give and receive love, and that’s one of the most important things in this world.

 

About my internship:

I interned at Hartford Hospital in Hartford, Conn., as part of the Summer Pre-Med and Research Program. I applied because it’s a competitive research-based internship that immerses students in the hospital environment and exposes them to clinical research. During the internship, I shadowed in many different fields of medicine but spent the majority of my time doing clinical research in the field of urogynecology. I am observing surgeries and working with data on post-operative pain management in patients receiving a variety of treatments.

 

Previous internships:

I previously interned at the University of Connecticut Medical School as part of the Summer Student Fellowship Program. I worked in a lab studying human fetal developmental neuroanatomy, and my work is currently pending publication in a peer-reviewed academic journal.

 

What I learned from my internships:

Both of these experiences have shown me more about what I want in my future career. I’ve seen a lot of doctors make their careers match their personal life goals and the lifestyles they desire most. These internships have also given me invaluable insight into the world of medicine that will surely make me a stronger candidate as I apply to medical school and will allow me to have more direction once I get there.

Learn more

 

 

Published October 8, 2014