The Sky Is the Limit!

Contributed by Samantha Rice, 2016 A.S. in Biotechnology Graduate

Someone once told me, “If you can believe in yourself at least half as much as I believe in you, the sky is the limit!”  Little did I know how much that one sentence would impact my life and rewrite my story to one of a journey that has far exceeded my expectations. Raising a family while attending college certainly challenged my sense of what I could do, but I was encouraged by the most amazing support group of professors in the Science and Math Building at Southeast Campus. Along the way, I learned how to persevere.  Perseverance drove me to do great things at Tulsa Community College, and I now hold an AS in Biotechnology. 

In a way, Biotechnology found me, instead of the opposite.  It is all because of my Biology for Majors class, which introduced me to the complexity of DNA and genetics and intrigued me enough to enroll in the Biotechnology Program.  From the day I first opened my biotechnology lab manual, I knew this was the path I wanted to take. Through biotechnology, I feel I can make a difference in this world and through this opportunity, I feel I can turn my dreams into a reality.  I want to help clean, fuel, feed and heal the world! 

During my time at TCC, I took advantage of wonderful opportunities that have helped me grow as a person and as a scholar.  Some of those opportunities are:

• Biotechnology Lab Sprints. In this summer class, we extracted the gene GAPDH from native Oklahoma plants, which is also expressed in humans and is associated to 21 classes of cancer, as well as neuronal diseases such as Alzheimer’s and Huntington’s Disease. Because of this research, I was able to represent the Biotechnology Department in Washington, D.C., where we shared our research with our congressional offices and became national advocates for undergraduate research. 
• Small World Initiative. This research-embedded microbiology class involved examination of soil microbes and their antibiotic capabilities as part of a national project. I was excited to experience microbiology and conduct undergraduate research that can help heal the world.
• TABERC Summer Internship. I spent last summer in the lab of Dr. Randy Wymore at Oklahoma State University Center for Health Sciences in Tulsa researching Morgellons Disease, thanks to an internship with the Tulsa Area Bioscience Education Research Consortium. Morgellons Disease is little-known and often discounted but is of grave importance to patients, and I love being part of a team that is there to find a solution. Because of this experience, I was invited to stay in the laboratory and continue our research.  I’ve been there almost a year and recently attended the 9th Annual Medical Scientific Conference on Morgellons Disease in Austin, Texas.  I am honored to have played a small role to find the solution to this great problem.      
• Phi Theta Kappa Honors Society Membership. Phi Theta Kappa recognizes and encourages scholarship among two-year college students, and provides opportunities for growth and development as leaders and scholars.
• PIPESTEMS Scholarship. This prestigious scholarship provided valuable support through three academic semesters.

I cannot stress enough the impact Tulsa Community College has made in my life.  I am so grateful for the support I have received and the tools I have developed along the way.  A part of my heart will always be in that math and science building, where I discovered my passion in life.  I am not sure what the future holds for me now, but what I do know is: “the sky is the limit,” and I am ready to believe.