Amanda Halliday ’23 pursued a neuroscience major and a psychology minor while at Haverford, setting the foundation for a career in medicine. Now, she is a Post-Baccalaureate Intramural Research Training Award recipient (IRTA) working in the Section on Social and Cognitive Developmental Neuroscience at the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH).
Halliday’s ultimate goal is to become a physician. Her time at Haverford equipped her with educational tools to pursue a medical path and nurtured essential life skills such as problem-solving and collaboration. “Being able to lean on my classmates and these other sorts of life skills are going to be super beneficial for me both in medical school and beyond,” says Halliday.
Working in Associate Professor of Psychology Laura Been’s lab for two years provided her with invaluable experiences. She appreciates Been’s mentorship and learned critical scientific skills, from working with rodents to how to collaborate effectively with a team. Halliday found additional support and inspiration from two influential figures at Haverford: Associate Professor and Chair of Psychology Shu-Wen Wang and The Prockop Assistant Professor of Neuroscience Patrese Robinson-Drummer.
Halliday begins this next stage of life with a sense of community that she developed at Haverford and the benefit of connections she made beyond her academic pursuits. “Engaging with professors off campus through babysitting not only provided me with a supportive network of adults but also offered valuable personal growth,” she adds.
Looking ahead, Halliday’s two-year position at NIMH will pave the way for her medical school applications. For her fellow graduates, she hopes they will lean on each other and build a strong, shared support system as they set out on post-graduation paths.
“Where They’re Headed” is a blog series chronicling the post-collegiate plans of recent Haverford graduates.