Future Doctor Honored as COSE Valedictorian
Posted: August 21, 2018 | Author: Kayla Centeno | Read Time: 2 minutes
Jacob Lambertsen is proud to represent the College of Science and Engineering as the 2018 Valedictorian. Lambertsen is a double major, studying biology and chemistry while maintaining an almost perfect GPA.
He always knew he wanted to become a doctor and is currently trying to decide between emergency medicine, neurology, or internal medicine. He hopes to practice medicine in a rural, underserved community upon graduating from medical school.
With an emphasis on the outdoors paired with an outstanding pre-medical program, Southern Utah University was the perfect choice for the Salina, UT native. Growing up in a small town, Lambertson has always loved the outdoors. Fishing, hunting, and hiking are some of his favorite activities outside of the classroom. He has always been curious and rather exploratory, which are perfect characteristics for both his passions: science and the outdoors.
Lambertson credits much of his success to the willingness and support of the various professors he’s had over the years. He’s felt a personal connection to every professor he’s taken a course from, but states that Dr. Werner and Dr. Weaver were exceptionally helpful on his academic journey.
“Both professors always had their doors open for me to come in and ask questions about my various curiosities,” said Lambertson. “They not only made me a better student, but a better person as well.”
“Jacob has always been one of the best students in the College of Science and Engineering,” said Dr. Werner. “Even as a freshman, Jacob would go above and beyond what was required of him in his coursework. Some intelligent students get lazy because their natural ability allows them to perform well without much effort, but Jacob always pushed himself above and beyond his natural ability.”
During his time at SUU, Lambertsen has assisted with the complex research of trying to determine the redox potential of a cell.
“This research has implications in cancer treatment for if it is determined that cancer cells have significantly different redox potentials relative to healthy cells, inactive drugs can be administered to the body and only be activated upon entering the unique redox environment of cancer cells,” said Lambertson.
SUU is a place Lambertsen will always call home. The thing he will miss most is the close knit community and the student- faculty interactions, but he is confident that SUU has successfully prepared him for the next step in life. While getting accepted to several prestigious medical schools, Boonshoft School of Medicine at Wright State University in Dayton, Ohio is where he will continue his academic journey in Fall 2018.
This article was published more than 3 years ago and might contain outdated information or broken links. As a result, its accuracy cannot be guaranteed.
Tags: Student Blog Biology Chemistry
