Leya Chute, a senior with a major in health science, accepted a presidential fellowship for Merrimack College’s master’s in biology program. The presidential fellowship provides 100% of a student’s graduate tuition and includes a nine-month, 25-hour-per-week fellowship placement. Leya is a first-generation Irish-American student. She said that schooling in Ireland is more classroom-based than at Merrimack. She enjoys the environment at Merrimack that allows her time to pursue her interests in between classes and focus on studying.
Leya is looking forward to being the first person on both sides of her family to earn a master’s degree. She was able to get the fellowship through hard work and dedication to her studies. When she found out the exciting news, her family in Ireland were proud of her accomplishment.
“My parents…were over the moon when they got the news,” she said. “When I applied for the presidential fellowship and…got it, I was very happy. Hard work really does pay off.”
During her master’s program, Leya will be teaching two general biology lab courses for undergraduate students. She wants to be a biology professor and researcher when she finishes the program, so this experience will be valuable.
“I’d love to [be] a [teacher], so with this master’s program it would be good for me,” she said. “It’s like dipping my toes into the water in the professor field…that’s how it’s really useful.”
In her junior year, Leya was a teaching assistant for the microbiology program, which she really enjoyed. Through her experience in teaching and the lab work, it was one of the best experiences she’s had in her field. This prompted her to pursue a career as a biology professor.
Leya switched from a major in nursing to health sciences as she felt she needed to change. She credits her advisor, Joseph Ruggiero, for helping her with the transition in majors.
“He’s been very good to me over the past few years,” she said. “He’s helped me with classes and…my parents didn’t go to school here in the States, so…if they had any questions he was able to answer them. He was very helpful in giving me letters of recommendation for grad school [as well], so shout out to him.”
Leya looks forward to making new connections with potential employers during this opportunity. She also wants to continue to build good relationships and show her excitement for the lab work.
For other students looking to attend graduate school and receive fellowships, Leya recommends giving full effort to their education and maintaining good relationships.
“Just do your best. That’s all you can do,” she said. “Be respectful to your professors. As long as you’re respectful…[and] they see that you’re trying, they’ll definitely help you. If you get [the opportunity for] a master’s program, go for it. It’ll definitely open up a lot more doors.”
Leya will be celebrating her upcoming graduation with her Grampa, Noel O’Brien, who will be flying from Cork, Ireland. The following week she’ll be flying back to Ireland with the rest of her family in the US.
“We’re all flying home…to see my Nana O’Brien,” she said. “She’s sick with dementia, so it’ll be good to see her. Hopefully she can hang in there and wait for us until we get back. It’ll be nice to just be all together as a family again.”
