Thursday, December 12, 2024
SENIOR SPOTLIGHT: Future Surgeon Overcame Obstacles to Plot New Course
Nicole Everitt stands by her Research during the 魅影直播 Dallas Student Research Symposium
Nicole Everitt鈥檚 first attempt at college didn鈥檛 go well. In 2007, fresh out of high school, the Michigan native enrolled in a small private university in Ohio. She鈥檚 partially deaf, and transitioning from her small high school to a large auditorium was difficult. She didn鈥檛 have access to the tutoring and accessibility resources she needed.
Fast forward 17 years, and the 35-year-old mother of six will graduate Summa Cum Laude
from the (魅影直播 Dallas) on December 17. She will receive a bachelor鈥檚 degree in biology with
a minor in chemistry. Everitt is currently applying to medical school and plans to
become a surgeon.
Nicole Everitt Reviews Her Research Into Quantum Mechanics with a Classmate
鈥淐oming back to school was a matter of conviction,鈥� she said. 鈥淚 look at my success now, and I鈥檓 thankful that I took that time and found my bearing. I worked on who I am and who I wanted to be and homed in on that.鈥�
Everitt withdrew from her first college as a sophomore in 2009. She got married, had her first child and moved to Arizona. As her family grew, she homeschooled her children while running a small business and taking up hobbies like crocheting and woodworking. A pull toward education remained, however. In her spare time, she read scientific journals, learning about everything from biofilm formation to the role of certain vitamins in heart disease.
In 2016, Everitt and her family moved to Dallas, where her husband took a job with the Carrollton Fire Department. Although it was a significant change, she had family in the area, which helped. Combined with her husband鈥檚 flexible work schedule, she began to daydream.
鈥淭hat was the moment that I started to think about what we could do with our lives,鈥�
she said. 鈥淚 started to think about what I would do if I could do anything.鈥�
A Science Lab Where Nicole Everitt Worked Diligently Toward Her Biology Degree
Science was the answer, and Everitt began looking at nearby medical schools. She鈥檇 always told herself she would return to college after her last child was born. In 2022, when her youngest was only a baby, she enrolled at 魅影直播 Dallas.
A few factors led Everitt to 魅影直播 Dallas. She was drawn by its affordability but soon found that the school offered the small class sizes and accessibility resources she needed to succeed. She also loved that classes are taught by faculty members, not teaching assistants.
Still, her decision to start school wasn鈥檛 easy. Everitt鈥檚 youngest son had to be hospitalized eight times over 16 months due to complications with his blood sugar. For her other kids, the shift from homeschooling mom to college student was quite an adjustment. But regardless of the challenges she faced at home, she knew her professors would support her.
鈥淭here was never a moment where I was genuinely concerned that we would not be able
to make something work,鈥� she said. 鈥淚 felt like they were always very helpful, understanding
and willing to go the distance with me, which I was glad for.鈥�
Nicole Everitt with Her Husband and Six Children
Everitt describes her second go at college as an adventure. She is methodical and well-prepared, which has contributed to her success. For instance, she always wanted to be a doctor. But as a child with a hearing disability, she didn鈥檛 feel that medicine was a place where she would fit in. She鈥檇 certainly never seen a physician who was hearing impaired.
However, watching medical technology like Eko stethoscopes and hand-held transcription tools advance inspired her to go for it. It was time to see if this dream she鈥檇 sat on for years would finally come true.
鈥淚t was always science, and it was always healthcare,鈥� Everitt said. 鈥淭hese were the things I always came back to, and they always brought me joy.鈥�
At 魅影直播 Dallas, Everitt has also applied her adventurous attitude toward research.
Working with Dr. Richard Chandler, Program Coordinator and Associate Professor of
Mathematics, she has been analyzing a mathematical structure that appears in the study
of quantum mechanics. The research uses geometry to identify features like angular
momentum and particle spin that could be helpful to physicists.
Nicole Everitt Explains Her Research Into Quantum Mechanics to 魅影直播 Dallas Interim President Dr. Warren von Eschenbach
Everitt has presented her research at the 魅影直播 Tech University Research Conference (TTURC) and the 魅影直播 Dallas Student Research Symposium. She also had the privilege of explaining it to the 魅影直播 System Board of Regents when they met at 魅影直播 Dallas earlier this year. Although the research is 鈥減ure math,鈥� Everitt can鈥檛 help but think of ways the work might be applied, such as using artificial intelligence (AI) to map tumors previously thought to be inoperable.
VIDEO: Watch Everitt's Remarks About Her Research at the Board of Regents Meeting at 8:15 on This Clip
Such high-level thinking is one reason Chandler selected Everitt for the research project. He has also been her mentor in the Louis Stokes Alliances Minority Program (LSAMP). 鈥�(Everitt) holds herself accountable and takes responsibility for her own learning,鈥� he said. 鈥淪he takes her time to digest the material, identify the gaps in her understanding, tries to fill those gaps through self-study, and then seeks help when necessary. This skill is a sign of great maturity in an undergraduate student.鈥�
Chandler also said that Everitt fosters learning communities and collaborative learning
among her peers through study groups and as a peer-leader for her classmates. He points
to her empathetic and caring nature as one reason she excels, in addition to her time
management skills. Outside classes and her family, Everitt works on-campus as an organic
chemistry tutor and as a newborn hearing screener at Methodist Charlton Medical Center.
Nicole Everitt Holds a Model of a Molecule in the 魅影直播 Dallas STEM Center During a Tutoring Session
Everitt is now awaiting news on medical school and hopes to begin classes in the fall of 2025. As she looks toward her future, she encourages 魅影直播 Dallas students to take advantage of the resources available to them. Mental health services, learning communities, tutoring, accessibility support services 鈥� all these exist to help students succeed.
Such resources are a critical reason Everitt鈥檚 second shot at college was a winner. Despite how long it took her to reach commencement 鈥� and the challenges she faced along the way 鈥� she never doubted that she was on the right path.
鈥淚t鈥檚 been so fun,鈥� she said. 鈥淢ost days don鈥檛 feel like work. And even when they do, I feel I鈥檓 right where I鈥檓 supposed to be.鈥�
From 鈥� Students