[off-screen] Action.
Hi, I'm Liz Percak-Dennett
and I graduated from UAA
in fall of 2008 with my bachelor's in geology
After that I started grad school at the
University of Wisconsin, Madison in Geology
I got my Master's in August of 2010
and I'm working on my Ph.D. right now.
Here, I'm working as part of the NASA Astro Biology Institute
investigating potential bio signatures
in really, really old rocks.
I still have a few years of my-
I still have a few more years on my Ph.D.
but so far,
I'm fully funded, and things are good to go.
Graduate School of the Sciences
has definitely been one of the hardest,
and most rewarding things I've ever done.
How did the Honors College helped me-
helped you get to where you are today?
Well, when I first started college,
I walked into the office as this
terrified seventeen year old.
I had no idea what to do.
I was thinking maybe I'd be pre-law
or justice or business or something.
And they really helped me by making college
seem very concrete.
It really helped me get my classes picked out,
figure out direction, and when I came to them
halfway through, saying
"I want to be a scientist!"
they were all about helping me to achieve those goals.
And I definitely wouldn't be here today without their support.
[reading aloud] Tell me about you biggest success during or after
your undergraduate education.
So really the biggest thing
was coming to my top choice of grad schools and
having it be totally funded.
That was really key
and I was able to get myself set up with this position
by doing great undergraduate research
and really knowing what I was doing there.
My favorite memory of my time with UAA Honors College
would definitely be our late night study sessions,
making friends that I still have to this day,
and just totally nerding out with my other geeks
and staying up till midnight doing homework on Monday nights.
It's been a lot of fun.
Also the Thanksgiving,
the "signing", where are they going parties
all those activities really contributed to enjoying college.
Alright, what are the Honors College's greatests assets?
For one, they teach you the actual hands on skills
you need to know to be successful.
They teach you how to write proposals,
how to search the literature,
how to find a good mentor.
Those are key things
that really gave me a headstart
to hit the ground running-
running when I came to grad school.
And finally,
with mixing the students from all around the country,
how did I stack up?
Well, I'd like to think I stacked up pretty well.
But the truth is,
I had all the skills
to make myself successful.
I wasn't the smartest,
I hadn't done the most research,
but I knew how to work hard,
and I knew how to really dig deep
and be successful in graduate school
as I have been.
Thank you!
