Friday Knight Alumni Spotlight
Tell us about yourself. Where you live now, career, and/or family news. What have you been up to since you left Geneseo?
I live outside of Boston in Sudbury, MA. I’ve focused my career on the technology that supports clinical trials. Right now I face my biggest challenge ever, working at Moderna Therapeutics on their vaccine for Covid-19. I am a system engineer and administrator for the technology that handles the data from the Covid-19 clinical trials and the submissions to the FDA. This has been the opportunity of a lifetime to make a real difference in the fight against the pandemic. It’s also great that I get to work with my daughter who is a chemist at Moderna.
As important as my work is, family is my first love. I have 3 children and 3 grandchildren who I’m in touch with constantly. I also am grateful I can video chat with my 91 year old mom who is in a nursing home in Maine.
I have an adorable little dog who’s my constant companion. I play the flute and I love to swim and garden. This summer I grew my own vegetables and herbs all in a container garden on my patio and I have many houseplants as well.
Before Covid I took frequent trips to a family apartment in NYC to see opera and theatre and visit family. And I can’t wait to get a vaccine so we can all start enjoying those things again. That keeps me motivated.
What is the best thing about your current job?
Working with a great team committed to getting a vaccine for Covid-19 out to the world.
If you could live anywhere, where would it be?
I love where I live outside of Boston, if only we could skip the winter months!
If you had a warning label, what would yours say?
Warning! Don’t even think about asking about retirement!
Do you collect anything?
I’ve been a collector of dolls and teapots and many other thing but the best thing I collect are memories of happy times.
What is your favorite family tradition?
Gardening with my daughter and granddaughter.
What fashion or trend do you hope makes a comeback?
Natural gray hair. I keep trying to grow out my gray but end up coloring it!
What is your favorite fast-food chain?
Taco Bell and my daughter seems to have inherited my craving for drive through Meccan food.
What is your favorite movie and why?
My Cousin Vinnie. It’s about family, it’s about cultural difference, has a strong female character, great actors and is just plain laugh out loud funny.
What is your favorite Geneseo memory?
When I was in college, the drinking age was 18. We would all head for the “Rat” (the Rathskeller) an on campus bar for “Subs and Suds” where we could use our meal tickets to buy subs and pitchers of beer! Times have changed.