Mariah Chapman

Interview with Mariah Chapman

BS in Biological Sciences – Zoology
Minor:  Applied Ecology
Anticipated graduation:  May, 2017
 

Hi Mariah!  What do you plan to do after graduating from NC State?
I hope to work in conservation, and will probably go to graduate school later on.

What advice would you give to students who might be at the beginning of their degree program?
Talk to your professors, and always read the assigned material before class! Ask questions if you have time after class, or shoot them a quick email with questions you might have after reviewing your notes. At the very least, your name will become familiar to the professor and you will begin to stand out of the sea of people in a lecture hall. Reading materials before class also helps you feel more prepared, and you understand lecture a lot better if you have already reviewed the material once.

What is your proudest accomplishment as an NC State student?
Making the Dean’s List every semester, and maintaining a 4.0 GPA.

What do you love best about your department or your major?
The Zoology department (and College of Sciences in general) is filled with professors and educators who genuinely care about their students and making the world a better place.

Care to give a shout-out to a faculty or staff member that you would like to recognize?
Dr. Jenny Campbell — thank you so much for all of your help! Dr. Campbell has been a wonderful advisor, professor, and mentor to me these past four years. She has helped me gain research experience with the NC Zoo, and her classes have changed my outlook on my major and even caused me to reevaluate my career plans, but in a good way.

Here are just some of the other remarkable things we discovered about Mariah:

• She is a first-generation college student.
• She has assisted doctors and cared for animals at a veterinary hospital since 2011.
• Mariah TA’d for Captive Animal Biology.
• Mariah conducted field research and data analysis on salamanders in rural NC streams.
• She has done animal welfare research and prepared publications on sand cats at the NC Zoo.
• She has been an active member of WISE (Women in Science and Engineering) and the Zoology Club while at NC State.