Caleigh Roleck
February 10, 2016
By Emma Alexander, Honors Communications Intern
This week, I spoke with Caleigh Roleck, a freshman in biochemistry from Huntley, Illinois. Caleigh aspires to obtain her Ph.D. in biochemistry and pursue a career in scientific research. The featured picture of Caleigh is of her in Florence, Italy, because she is very interested in traveling and would like to, one day, go on one of the Honors College study abroad trips.
Of course, I had many questions for Caleigh. But, first and foremost, I had to ask, why Purdue? Caleigh shared,
For one thing, my mom went here, so I have been interested in Purdue ever since I was young. Purdue was actually the first college I ever visited, and I really loved the campus. I like the research opportunities at Purdue. Also, I like the opportunities offered to me by the Honors College.
Although only just beginning her second semester at Purdue, Caleigh is already very involved with Purdue’s iGEM team. iGEM, which stands for International Genetically Engineered Machine, is a competition in which teams from around the word compete to present their synthetic biology research. For more information on iGEM, you can read one of our previous news stories here.
Not only is Caleigh a member of the iGEM team here at Purdue, but she is also one of the interns, selected to stay at Purdue over the summer to conduct the research used by the team for the global competition.
All of this groundbreaking research will converge in the iGEM Jamboree. Former team president Mark Aronson once described the iGEM Jamboree as, “part conference, part competition, part synthetic biology celebration, and more than the sum of those parts.” How exciting it is that Caleigh has the opportunity to play such a significant role on this team during her first year at Purdue.
Caleigh also shared some of her experiences with the Honors College with me,
I really enjoyed my HONR class on stem cells. We did a variety of interesting activities, and it embodied the interdisciplinary aspect of the Honors College, which I enjoy. I also enjoyed my freshman seminar. The classes challenged me to think both logically and creatively. I've benefited by meeting some great peers and faculty that have encouraged me to learn and interact with people with whom I might not have normally interacted.
It sounds like Caleigh is already experiencing the incredible benefits being a member of the Honors College brings. Good luck with the rest of your freshman year Caleigh, and keep up the good work! We can’t wait to see how the rest of your Honors College career unfolds.
