Rebekah Brawley

Biology

Rebekah joined Stetson as a transfer student in the second semester of her first year. An an Honors student, she exemplifies academic excellence. She has also excelled in her history minor, showcasing the breadth of her academic talents. Rebekah has impressed faculty with her ability to produce high-caliber work with minimal guidance or feedback. In addition to her rigorous course load, she has been heavily involved in campus organizations (Alpha Epsilon Delta, Omicron Delta Kappa, Biology Honor Society, Honor Council, Project Right to Sight) and outreach; has served as a Stetson Peer Instructor; and has volunteered shadowing medical practitioners. Additionally, she has completed numerous research projects as an undergraduate student and was accepted to a summer internship at the University of Florida. Research she performed as a sophomore resulted in authorship on a peer-reviewed paper, which is extremely rare. She completed her senior research in Dr. Jean Smith’s laboratory, analyzing the function of a protein involved in cell-cell fusion in yeast. Rebekah quickly mastered the technical skills required to complete her project and successfully created and analyzed a novel point mutation in a known regulator of the process. She was chosen to present her work at the Association of Southeastern Biologists Annual Meeting in collaboration with the Beta Beta Beta biological honor society. Rebekah has been accepted to medical school and will begin her training this summer.