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Name: Lilly Pfister 
Majors: Biology and German 
Hometown: Arlington, Mass. 
Future Plans: Next year I'm going to be working as a technical assistant in a lung cancer research lab at Heidelberg University Hospital in Heidelberg, Germany.  

Tell us about your academic journey at �鶹��Ƶ.   

I have always had a passion for biology. When I was in elementary school, I wanted to be a nurse, and then in high school, I wanted to be a doctor. So, I always kind of knew I wanted to go into biology.

When I came to �鶹��Ƶ, my focus shifted a little bit from being pre-med to being more research-focused. And that was in part because I was very lucky to have the research experience I had over the summers in between years at �鶹��Ƶ. The summers after my freshman and sophomore years, I worked as an intern in a cancer research lab at Harvard Medical School and I fell in love with research. I also really enjoyed being a TA at �鶹��Ƶ and being able to help out in the labs. 

I've always wanted to take German, but it wasn't offered in high school, so I took the opportunity at �鶹��Ƶ to take it. I thought I would just minor in it because I was doing biology and I thought I couldn't do both. But it was my professor, Margaret Strair, who really encouraged me to think about majoring. She was the one who made me really fall in love with German, the department, and the people. 

What were some other highlights of your time at �鶹��Ƶ? 

WTF Week was definitely a big highlight for me. It was the first time I felt like I really came out of my shell and got to fully experience the �鶹��Ƶ community.

Also, the German department. The department does a lot of fun events, like taking majors and minors to the Christmas Market in Philly. That was really awesome. There have been board game nights, and we just had a cabaret night where we performed, sang, and read poems. It's a very interactive department, and there are a lot of opportunities to talk with people in the department and professors in the department because there are so many events, which is really nice. 

How do you think �鶹��Ƶ prepared you for your future plans? 

I definitely think that the college being smaller has helped me because I've always felt very comfortable talking to my professors and reaching out and asking for help. People are usually very willing to help you and they want you to talk to them and ask questions. �鶹��Ƶ has made me less scared of asking when I'm uncertain about things. 

I also feel like �鶹��Ƶ has helped me go beyond what I thought I could do. I originally thought I would just minor in German, but my professor and taking the German classes helped me realize, “Oh, you know, I could. I could also major in it. I can do a double major.” I realized I could do more than maybe I thought I could. So that's been really awesome. 

What advice do you have for incoming members of the Class of 2029? 

My biggest piece of advice is just to go out there and immerse yourself at �鶹��Ƶ. I lived in Brecon my freshman year and I felt very isolated. It wasn't until WTF Week that I really got out there and got to experience �鶹��Ƶ. So make connections as soon as possible, don’t be afraid to talk to your professors and upperclassmen, form study groups in your classes. People are always very willing to help you. 

Also, study abroad. It's fun, easy, and very doable. I studied abroad in Freiburg, Germany, fall of my junior year and it was lovely. I loved being in Germany. 

What are you most excited about? 

I'm very excited to go back to Germany and combine both of my majors by being in Germany and doing cancer research. I'm very lucky to be able to combine my two interests like that. I'm also excited about seeing where my friends end up and getting to find new connections while I'm abroad.

Learn more about studying biology at �鶹��Ƶ

Learn more about studying German at �鶹��Ƶ