Manmay LaKay Magazine Debut Issue | Page 82

scientist whose daily conversations involved words like molecular cascades and genetic engineering was something restricted only to the movies and fiction novels. There I was seated across my professor’s desk, staring incredulously at my list of applications. 'Why settle he says. You belong at these schools, yes, it will be challenging, but give yourself the opportunity.'” Whitney followed her professors advice, signed the acceptance letter and took her earned spot at Harvard   —  one of the most prestigious Ivy League Universities in the world. But, albeit very deserving, Whitney recounts the internal turmoil she suffered that very first year at Harvard... "The first few years of graduate school was one of the most challenging, yes-intellectually, but more so psychologically," she remembers. "I was But Harvard didn’t! And of course it wouldn’t be long until the very driven and determined Whitney shook up and shaped up. surrounded by some of the best minds in the world, astute and intellectually groomed for the rigorous course work that lay ahead. Their confidence was palpable and only served to remind me of my own insecurity. Surely, Harvard must have made a mistake by accepting me." She immersed herself in the culture of the school, activated her determination and will to succeed, modeled the work ethic of her parents and went on to making her mark in the scientific community   —  a significant discovery in the area of cancer research.   Through her Research at the Toker Lab under the guidance of Alex Toker, professor of pathology at Harvard Medical School, Whitney found that long non-coding RNA (lincRNA) parts of a genome that do not produce proteins, actually contributes to the development of cancer   —  a prospect scientists had believed for a long time wasn't the case. But through Whitney's findings, scientists are beginning to see the link between lincRNA and cellular processes.