CTK Graduate's STEM Path includes Graduate and PhD Programs

Love Moore CTK ’17, Southern University ’21 is a young woman who follows her own guidance. When asked what advice she would have for current CTK students, she responded, “Have an honest conversation with yourself, asking what career you really want to pursue. And then research and map out the path to accomplish it.” Love’s own career path has led her to become the first college graduate in her family, and currently to a one-year post baccalaureate program at Ohio State University’s Wexner Medical Center as a Discovery Prep Scholar conducting perinatal research. The hands-on lab experience will help boost her chances of being accepted into one of the 14 PhD programs in Immunology and Biomedical Science throughout the country she recently applied to.

Love transferred into CTK for her last two years of high school. Even at that time, she knew that higher education was the route she wanted to take and determined that CTK would help to prepare her for it. Academically, she achieved a top ten class ranking while still carving out the time to get involved in a range of activities including student government, mock trial, cheerleading, and National Honor Society. She credits her Corporate Work Study Program (CWSP) experience at Relativity (formerly kCura) and the mentorship she received there with developing her professionalism, and communication and multi-tasking skills. She cites an example while in college of drawing on her confidence and CWSP experience to attend a career fair on her own after her classmate backed out. Her initiative led to an offer to participate in an important research project.

The decision to attend Southern University in Baton Rouge Louisiana stemmed partly from her desire to experience a different culture and region, but also a financial package which made paying for school possible for her family. The sense of community at Southern helped her feel at home despite being 900 miles from Chicago. She notes that her mother has remained her anchor during her educational and career journey, providing emotional support and encouragement from afar. While at Southern, Love was active in the NAACP, Collegiate 100 Black Woman, Bio Jaguars, National Society of Black Engineers, and participated in diverse range of research programs and internships. While both in college and in her grad program, Love as made it a priority to volunteer her time at local schools. In her words, “It’s important for me to pay it forward. You don’t see a lot of black women in the biomedical research field. For me, it’s very important to create a pathway for other little black girls who may want to enter the STEM field in the future.” Love graduated in May 2021 from Southern University with a Bachelor of Science in Biology and a minor in chemistry.

While she completes the Ohio State program, she will go through the interview process to determine which Immunology PhD program will be lucky enough to have her enrolled for the next 5 to 6 years. Upon completion, she will have the option to remain in academia as a special investigator or professor, or to take a position in government or industry. Not surprisingly, Love has noble dreams for her future, “I want to create more therapies for auto immune disorders to make the lives of those affected easier and better, and to help eliminate health disparities.”

Wishing you continued success on your journey, Love.