Next up in our graduating seniors of 2025 is BMB major, Camryn Sung. Camryn was in my CHEM 205 (organic chemistry 1) course in Fall 2022. When she first reached out about joining the lab I wasn’t sure that I had any space; however, we (my collaborators at HPU and I) got a grant to continue our work to investigate the mechanisms of antibiotic adjuvants so I remember emailing Camryn to see if she was still interested. She worked in Summer 2022 trying to get a number of new proteins expressed and purified. She can tell you more about expression tests than anyone who has ever worked for me. She also lead the small but mighty Pollock lab team to victory in the Gottwald Games that summer. She has continued to work in the lab for the past two years taking a break last summer to work as an intern at a hospital. I think it reaffirmed her plans to head to med school in the future. Let’s hear what Camryn has to say about her time in the lab.
Q: Why did you decide to join the Pollock lab?
Camryn: I initially started looking into labs because of the BMB requirement, but joining the Pollock lab ended up being one of the best decisions I’ve made at Richmond. I was especially drawn to this lab because the research being done was genuinely fascinating to me and aligned with my interests more than any other lab I looked into.
Q: What was your favorite part about your research experience?
Camryn: Spending the summer in the lab was such a highlight. I got really close with my lab mates, and we had a great time—especially bonding over the Gotty games, which made the experience even more fun and memorable.
Q: What do you plan to do after graduation?
Camryn: I’d love to continue doing research if possible. It’s been tough finding research positions with so much funding being cut, so I’m also applying to medical assistant roles to stay involved in healthcare while I figure out next steps.
Q: As you reflect back on your time at University of Richmond, what advice would you give to an incoming student who was interested in your career path?
Camryn: Talk to as many people as you can! I didn’t have any family in medicine, so I had to figure out a lot on my own. If you’re on a pre-med or science track, don’t be afraid to ask questions constantly—whether it’s about classes, internships, or careers. It makes a huge difference.
Camryn – I have enjoyed getting to know you over the past three years. You are a beast in pipetting samples into a 96-well PCR plate and I appreciate that you never gave up even when the thermal melts didn’t give us interpretable data. Good luck in finding a position for the next year and moving towards medical school in the future. Keep in touch!
~jap
P.S. I’m sorry I didn’t get a better photo before your senior presentation, but you definitely rocked it!
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