Swati Pandey-2023

Swati Pandey

Major: Biology

GPA: 3.96

PERSONAL STATEMENT

To interpret the “Lafayette Ideal” without first acknowledging the identities and accomplishments of Marquis de Lafayette would not be incomplete, but also inappropriate. For me, Lafayette is a foreigner who believed in values of freedom and liberty such that he too is interwoven in the American dream [reality]. As an international student, I have experienced the drowning imposter phenomenon a foreign space can bring, but I’ve also experienced the sense of belonging that a community of shared values can inspire.

As cliché as it sounds, for me the “Lafayette Ideal” is someone who is invested in something bigger than themselves. Although as a shy first-year, I believed in this, it is the past four years that has solidified this commitment for me. This understanding of our shared humanness which shouldn’t be limited to normative ideals but rather nurtured by the appreciation of our differences has been my biggest lesson. Through classes, clubs, offices and casual conversations at Upper, I have been able to invest myself in the ideas and efforts of my peers and inspire the same. It is in these visions that have translated into projects, news stories, programs, conferences, fundraisers and forums- I’ve enjoyed the greatest opportunities.

Opportunities that laid on the cusp of my struggles and privileges. We do not live in a world that is fair, and so to be aware of our privileges is essential. I recognize the support system of mentors and friends or both who have been my catapults. For me, the Lafayette ideal is the acknowledgement of these privileges as well, and Lafayette himself is a representative of this.

It is in this commitment to better our community and in that process, attain our better selves-that I have found my home in a foreign land and my accomplishments through the “Lafayette Ideal”.

OTHER INFORMATION

For Community Service:

I realize that my community service activities may be different for what the committee normally reads about. I would like to take this space to explain my choice of response. For me community service is a voluntary investment of my time and energy in issues that affect a broader community. Being an international student, my perception of my community has always been rather global and that is reflected in the ways I chose to volunteer my limited time and energy. I hope the selection committee will be mindful of why I made the choices I did, and why it may not reflect typical responses such as POSP or Landis Center. This is not to say that either of these organizations are limiting. But they simply didn’t provide me with the sort of expanse that I am passionate about. Furthermore, I differentiate community service from campus service in the demography it affects and in the demography it addresses.

ACADEMIC ACTIVITY/AWARD

Nalven Fellow-.5 year

Each year two students are supported by the Nalven Memorial Fund to engage in ecological/environmental research with faculty mentors in the Department of Biology during the summer. As a Nalven Fellow, I had the opportunity to work with Prof. Per Billy Daniel Stroembom during my first year summer. We conducted extensive literature study on the life history of an invasive species, Lycorma delicatula, and mathematically modeled its life cycle and the effects of proposed management implications. I continued working on this study during the following fall semester as an Independent Research student.   The result of this research was not only a poster presentation at Lafayette’s virtual student poster presentation (fall 2020) and the National Conference on Undergraduate Research (2022), but also my first co-authored journal published in Mathematical Biosciences.  This experience provided me with an untradeable exposure to the process of scientific research and encouraged me to hone in my mathematical skills which isn’t a typical expectation for a student majoring in Biology.  (paper: D Strömbom and S Pandey. 2021. Modeling the life cycle of the spotted lanternfly (Lycorma delicatula) with management implications. Mathematical Biosciences 240, 108670. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.mbs.2021.108670 )

Teaching Assistant, Biological Modeling-.5 year

I was appointed as Teaching Assistant for BioL 270 during my sophomore spring. In this role, I assisted the Prof. Stroembom in answering any student questions during the class (BioL 270) while offering office hours and drop-in sessions to assist students in excelling in the course. Apart from helping me develop pedagogical skills, this experience also helped me revisit the information I had learned in the same course and gain a stronger perspective on the importance of mathematical thinking for addressing and resolving questions that are biological in nature.

Student Researcher Assistant- Organic Chemistry Lab-.5 year

During my sophomore summer, I worked as a Student Research Assistant for the Organic Chemistry lab with Prof. Xiadong Fan. Here, I learned fundamental organic chemistry techniques while furthering my pedagogical skills by helping develop and design labs that would enhance student laboratory experience. One of such labs was the Fischer esterification process using microwave heating using NMR analysis.   The result of this research was an accepted poster presentation at the American Chemical Society during the Spring  of 2022.

Study Abroad- St. Edmund Hall, University of Oxford, UK-.5 year

Utilizing the opportunities offered at Lafayette to help its students grow into global citizens, I traveled to the UK for a study abroad experience through the college-affiliated IFSA-Butler Study Abroad Program. At Oxford, while enrolled in two courses- Proteins and DNA inheritance- I was able to gather the experience of research in big universities, while exploring almost every museum in this densely packed city! I also spent an additional two weeks shadowing at Prof. Lars Jansen’s epigenetic lab at the conclusion of my study abroad program.

Summer Student Researcher, Nanda Lab, Rutgers University-.5 year

One of the labs that I worked virtually with during my junior year summer was the Nanda Lab at Rutgers. Here, I worked on Parvovirus capsid protein manipulation using the SCHEMA algorithm, Alpha Fold 2, ChimeraX and Clustal Omega to create a AAV2 and PPV6 chimera library to enhance virus tropism and genome packaging capacity. Given most of my tasks were focused on computer coding, this experience was a challenging yet a rewarding experience for me. The long-term goal of the project is to increase virus tropism for effective drug delivery.

Summer (and continued) Student Research Assistant, Murphy Lab, UConn Health-1 year

The other research project that I worked on virtually during the summer of my junior year was with Prof. Patrick Murphy and his PhD student Omar Mustafa Fathy from UConn Health. My projects focused on single cell data analysis of existing human single cell data banks (cardiovascular and neural) using python-based modules such as SCANPy and in-CITE seq to study the molecular mechanism of transition of quiescent cardiovascular endothelial cells to inflamed cells and the breakage of blood-brain barrier in the context of diseases such as atherosclerosis and Alzeihmers.   As someone who grew up in a household constantly paranoid of losing one of my parents to cardiac arrest, working on this project was an extremely meaningful experience for me. In the past years, I’ve been more attuned with the reality that this isn’t a fate limited to my family but rather a pervasive problem, especially in developing countries.  Furthermore, the coding heavy nature of the project aptly challenged me while helping me develop into an all-rounded student.  The result of this research are two co-authored papers in review and continuation of my research and mentorship at the lab as a Student Research Assistant after graduating from Lafayette.

Student Researcher, Kurt lab-2 years

What started as an email of interest to Prof. Robert Kurt sent during my first semester at Lafayette has now transformed into a mentorship I will carry in my heart for a lifetime. I started training in the Kurt Lab during my sophomore spring under the supervision of Kim Manalang’21. In the lab, I studied the impact of single, dual and triple signaling in innate immune cells (THP-1 cells). This project focused on the long-term goal of designing a NetLogo model of immune cascades that can used for anticipatory guidance and was conducted in collaboration with Prof. Liew from the CS department. Currently, I am building on this study by studying the effects of different treatments on mouse immune cells with long term goals of these results informing tumor control and treatment research.    Also, one of the significant results of my experience at the Kurt Lab was also my experience as a thesis candidate. Although my thesis never reached its completion, I strongly believe that this experience, perhaps due to its risky and “incomplete” nature, has been one of most prominent learning experiences that I have had on campus. As with scientific reporting, successes are reported more often and openly than failures and this tendency can heavily skew our individual and collective narratives of reality. Thus, I also want to mention my failed thesis- driven by passion, risk, creativity, learning and dedicated mentorships- as one of my most prominent achievements at Lafayette.

Student Researcher, Per Billy Daniel Stroembom Lab-2 years

Until my senior fall, I continued my research with Prof. Stroembom on the possible management methods of L. delicatula using mathematical differential theorems and Swarm Optimization computational algorithms. In the continued research, we refined our past results by focusing on their policy level applications and implications.

Supplemental Instructor-1 year

I have worked as a supplemental instructor for General Chemistry I during Fall 2022 and for General Biology II in Spring 2023. As an SI I conduct structured SI sessions and general drop-in sessions to facilitate student understanding of the course materials while encouraging them to be curious! Being an SI has also helped me learn about several effective pedagogical practices while encouraging me to work on my soft skills. As an SI, I’ve created heartfelt bonds with students in my courses by encouraging them to learn for the sake of learning and always create a space of grace for themselves and others.

Dean’s List-3.5 years

Fall 2019, Spring 2020, Fall 2020, Spring 2021, Fall 2021, Spring 2022, Fall 2023

CAMPUS SERVICE ACTIVITY/AWARD

Student Leadership Intern-2 years

I was recruited to be the Student Leadership Intern during my sophomore fall, and have had the amazing opportunity to learn more about leadership ever since under the mentorship of Jodie Frey. As an SLI, I have spearheaded the Lafayette Leadership Education Committee while organizing several events and workshops to promote leadership education on campus. Some of the programs include the annual Lafayette Leadership Institute, Class of ‘68 workshops, First Year Leadership Development workshop (First Lead Yourself), Collegiate Leadership Competition (CLC), Ethics of Leadership and the annual division of Student Life award ceremony- the Hoff Awards- among others. In my role as the SLI, I have continually been encouraged to focus on skills of collaboration, communication and inclusivity. The result of this mentorship has been my commitment to engaging and encouraging leadership across and beyond campus as a process of collaboration rather than focusing on leading as the identity of “leaders”.

Peer Educator, PAVE-1 year

Peer Anti Violence Educators (PAVE) is a program supervised by the Student Advocacy and Prevention Coordinator Katy Bednarsky that is committed to the promotion of a healthier and safer campus for all students. In my role as a peer educator for PAVE, I am a NASPA certified student Peer Educator, and have been involved in several anti-violence and anti-oppression initiatives while providing workshops to diverse student groups (such as incoming class of First Years, Resident Advisors and Athletic Clubs) in supportive services and interpersonal violence dynamics.

Resident Advisor-1.5 years

Resident advisors (RAs) are assigned to each residential community and charged with fostering relationships among and delivering services to the students there. I started as an RA in McKeen as a mid-year hire, and am now an RA at Ruef Hall. As an RA, I am the information resource, activities organizer, liaison to the Office of Residence Life and adviser to my first-year residents. During my role as an RA, I’ve been able to provide my residents with appropriate resources and also help them connect to not just the Lafayette community but the larger global village through self-initiated programs such as early educational sessions about the Russian Aggression and co-sponsored ISA events such as Holi! Being an RA requires an effective blend of hard and soft skills, and in my role as one I have certainly developed in both these aspects.

Dean’s Ambassador-.5 year

During my sophomore summer, I worked as the first cohort of Dean’s Ambassador for the Dean of Student Life, Dean Brian Samble. During this role, I gained experience in student affairs administration. The work included internal/external communications within the division of Student Life, working on website redesign, program development, and strategic initiatives. One of the projects that I worked on with my amazing colleagues Lauren Maggio’23 and Ciara O’Connor’22 was working of an app for First Year Orientation called “Guidebook”. Aside from vibing to Taylor Swift at Feather House, this experience really provided me with an opportunity to get closer to diverse niches of campuses while providing non-dominant insights. Hopefully, Guidebook has been helpful in planning and navigating the First Year Orientations.

Student Writer, Lafayette Today-1 year

As a wanna-be journalist who is currently a Biology Major, I worked as a Student Writer for the Lafayette Today under the mentorship of the then editor Dave Block. As a student writer for Lafayette Today I was able to reminisce about my short journalistic experience in Nepal as I continued working on my storytelling skills. The work included interviews with different students, faculty and administrators on campus and conveying those stories to the greater Lafayette community.

Member, International Student Organization-4 years

Although I’ve not held any leadership positions in the International Student Association of Lafayette, my application would be incomplete without expressing my deep-held gratitude and passion for this organization. ISA is indeed a home for international students on campus and Janine Block’s commitment to enriching this space will never be justified by my words.   As a member of ISA, I’ve had the opportunity to work on many passion projects from fundraisers to Decolonizing Series- each event focused on raising awareness and creating a sense of community. During the time of the writing of this application, I am collaborating with Tanushree Sow Mondal’24 (from ISA), CITLS and EAP Center to organize an International Student’s Forum- the aim being to increase awareness about the academic experience of  international students at Lafayette and encourage collaborative action items to make these experiences filled with a sense of belonging and success.

Member, PASA-1 year

I was a member of PASA or Pards Against Sexual Assault from my freshman spring to sophomore spring. During my membership, I worked on programming and workshop development aspects of the group. Some of the prominent events that I collaborated on were the “Title IX info session” organized in collaboration with the Title IX Office and Student Government, PASA community discussions and a 3 episodes long PASA podcast with Greta Kulby’21 as part of the Sexual Assault Awareness Month. (podcast:https://lafayettestudentnews.com/116110/culture/pasa-podcast/)  PASA was one of the first student groups that I was a part of. It provided me with a space of education and inclusion, and for that I will forever be grateful to my supportive peers and seniors. It provided me with language to navigate complex and sensitive situations and experiences- some that were personal too. The impact of this knowledge has been unparalleled in the way I continue to navigate life.

Member of Senate, Student Government-1 year

I served in Student Government for a year during my sophomore year. As a member of the sustainability committee, I was working for a Composting on Campus Project with a group of dedicated individuals such as Maria Bossert’23 and Kaitlyn Hilley’23. The project required us to navigate complex administrative networks and handle multi-stakeholder endeavors. Part of this endeavor also required us meeting with Easton’s Mayor Panto- something I still find quite subliminal.  However, I must mention here that one of the reasons my experience at Student Government is an achievement is that it taught me a very valuable lesson that can often be overlooked- how to leave a space that doesn’t serve you or you may not best serve to. While I did learn a lot with the Sustainability and Student Government team, I also learned that this position wasn’t mine to keep. However, I am hopeful that the Composting Project will reach fruition and I am glad to have the opportunity to contribute to it in any way that I did. Until then, I am rooting for those who are well-deservedly working for sustainability efforts on campus.

Student Staff, Skillman Library-3 years

I started working at the Skillman Library as part of my Federal Work Study Position. However, soon enough this engagement allowed me to enhance various hard and soft skills such as organizational and communication skills.

COMMUNITY SERVICE

Mada Raketa : A Fundraiser-0.3 year

It was a casual conversation I had in the sauna at the Kirby Sports Center with Mirana Randriamanantsoa ’21 that had resulted into Mada_Raketa: a creative campaign against starvation and the world’s first famine caused solely by global warming in southern Madagascar. I was grateful to have the opportunity to organize this event in collaboration with Mirana’21 and Celeste Fieberg ’22, president of the International Students Association. The event was designed to be twopronged: raise fundings to support the battle against starvation in Southern Madagascar and raise implications of its applications.

Lehigh Valley Symposium on CRISPR Implementation and Ethics-2 years

In the summer of 2021, Professor Heidi Hendrickson started a book club for “A Crack in Creation”. The book was co-authored by the Nobel laureate Jennifer Doudna and her student Sam Sternberg, and explored their journey of discovery of a tool that made gene editing more accessible than ever: CRISPR. With that discovery came the implications of its applications. This book club was filled with passionate folks, and it felt limiting to not have a wider conversation regarding this topic that affected all of our lives: scientists and non-scientists alike. Thus, was born the passion project of many folks including mine: the Lehigh Valley Symposium of CRISPR Implementation And Ethics. After a year and half of planning and collaboration with about 13 organizations within Lafayette College and across Lehigh Valley- we were able to organize a one of its kind symposium marked by interdisciplinarity. Looking back at my college career, this symposium and the support that was provided by the organizing team was a once in a lifetime moment for me. No words of mine will ever be enough to express gratitude to Prof. Heidi Hendrickson for enabling students like me and Samantha Ganser’23 to achieve such an enormous feat.    The CRISPR symposium required not only organizational and collaborative skills, but a commitment to diversity and inclusion at all levels of delivery- from speakers to subjects!  (news: https://news.lafayette.edu/2022/09/26/on-the-ethics-of-engineering/)

Decolonizing Series-1 year

Decolonizing Series is a student, faculty and staff-led Lafayette and wider Community initiative to encourage conversation regarding the impacts of colonialism that continue to this day in ways that are often overlooked and translate those understandings into actionable goals. The series takes inspiration from a book that was suggested to me by my cousin: “The Nutmeg’s Curse” by Amitav Ghosh.   I spearheaded this initiative with my peers Ali Sultan Sikandar’23 and the rest of the ISA team. As part of the series, we organized three distinct events during the fall of 2022 that included Decolonizing Land (organized by the help of Prof. Eric Ziolkowski and the Dept. of Religious Studies), Decolonizing Beauty (organized in collaboration with ISA) and Decolonizing Art (organized in collaboration with Grossman House). At the time of the writing of this application, I am collaborating with specific academic departments and campus offices to organize a campus-wide event on the “Present Day Manifestations of Colonialism” that will focus on the power of storytelling and personal narratives helping our community get closer to one another.

International Student Forum-.5 year

At the time of the writing of this article, I am collaborating with Tanushree Sow Mondal’24 (ISA), CITLS and EAP Center to organize a forum for international students to share their experiences in the academic spaces at Lafayette, which are more often than not underrepresented. The event is scheduled for March 22nd and will bring together international students, faculty and administrators across the college to identify these struggles that are unique to being an international student which include but are not limited to ESL [English as a Second Language] difficulties in classes, challenges in adjusting to the American education environment and feeling a diminished sense of belonging and inclusion in our fields of interests. The program aims to build on the efforts of ISA, CITLS and EAP Center to make academic spaces and experiences accessible to international students while encouraging further actionable steps not only for international students who are present with us, but also for those who will be joining us in the future.

Encouraging Leadership: a workshop in collaboration with The Small World Nepal-.2 year

Also part of being an international student is certainly having communities across ponds. As I reflect on my community services, it will be an incomplete introspection to miss a workshop I had the opportunity to facilitate during the summer of 2022. In collaboration with The Small World Nepal, I was able to facilitate a leadership workshop for about ten aspiring women leaders from home. For me this workshop was an opportunity to reflect on my biggest lessons at Lafayette- collaboration, active listening and self efficacy.

ATHLETIC ACTIVITY/AWARD

Squash Club-.5 year

As a first year, I signed up for almost everything during the Involvement Fair and one of them was the Squash Club. I have never been an athletic person so anybody who knew me was as surprised as my father upon hearing my decision. As terrible as I was at Squash, this club sport definitely deserves an honorary mention. Being part of the club for a semester allowed me to learn how to get comfortable in discomfort. So, now even if you may not see me at the squash court, you’ll certainly see me trying almost everything at least once.

Regular commitment to physical well-being-3.5 years

I am not an athletic person, but given that Rec Services will now be operating under the Athletics Division, I guess my hour long and consistent commitments at the gym counts for something? Hahahah..jokes aside

SPECIAL INTEREST ACTIVITY/AWARD

Scholarships and Financial Aid at Lafayette-4 years

All of my experiences described above would certainly have not been possible without the generous support of Lafayette Admissions and Financial Aid Office. Coming from a middle-class family of non-STEM folks in Nepal, I realize that the undergraduate education and experience I’ve been able to receive is but a dream for most. The gratitude I have for my admissions officer Eugene Gabay and the team that provided me with this life transforming experience is immeasurable. It is through their faith in me and the scholarships and aid provided by the college that I am the person who I am now, and certainly much has been contributed by these experiences to the person that I will become.  I must also mention the contribution of the team in constantly reminding me that the support I receive isn’t one-sided: International students are indeed an indispensable part of Lafayette’s identity and inseparable players in helping Lafayette achieve its missions.

The Liberal Arts Model of Education-4 years

I have worked inside the lab for hours. I have worked in front of computers for the same. I have attended talks filled with jargons my Biology degree didn’t equip me with but my passion that led me to multiple humanities classes certainly made them enjoyable. I have read books such as “The Crack in Creation” and “The Nutmeg’s Curse” that have inspired community-wide programming efforts to journals for classes such as EDUC 150 and INDS 253 that have helped me collaborate for outside of class actionable steps. I have grown under diverse mentors in the past four years- each helping me hone a blend of hard and soft skills. From writing stories to writing published academic journals, I have been consistently encouraged to question my self perceived limitations and engage in interdisciplinary discourse and research in the true sense of the word liberal arts.  As I graduate from this space, it will be unfair to not reflect on this diverse yet rigorous experience Lafayette has provided me with and helped me grow into an individual who values learning, leadership, language and living. This in all aspects is an activity and achievement.

The Balancing Act: Dimensions of Health-4 years

To prioritize my sleep, physical health and emotional well-being at Lafayette is indeed a great personal achievement for me, and one worthy of mention! In a culture of hustle, we can often forget our humanity. I am glad that I’ve always been close to my humanness and this wouldn’t have been possible if it weren’t for my peers and professors who understood my limitations, gave me that added 24 hours to deliver my assignments and silently acknowledged that not all days are good and that is fine.

We don’t have to be experts: Embracing the Growth mindset!-4 years

I realize that this may not be the response this section is asking for, but I do believe that to connect with ourselves and those around us we must accept and appreciate our humanity: which comes in various forms of vulnerability such as writing, painting, music and humor. Looking back at the past four years, what has kept me going is this growth mindset. We do not have to be experts, most days we just have to enjoy! Enjoying academics (yes, even the exams!), trying to learn how to play the ukulele that I brought with me first pay from working at Skillman Library, writing poetry and songs as hearts were broken and just being blissfully grateful for opportunities that come our way and those that slip like sand- these are activities that have helped me connect to myself and those around me. An application where I do not mention these small moments and accomplishments- the English Class Discussions with Prof. Ryan Mitchell to Cultural Amalgamation at Portlock with Yumna Hussain’25- will not be an honest one; it will not be a humane one- and in the absence of both, it will fail to deliver my ideals of the Lafayette.