The chemistry department at CSU prepared me to enter graduate school with a highly competitive resume. The department allowed me to work as a lab assistant from sophomore year to graduation. I also worked as an undergraduate research assistant, and publication resulted from this experience. A career fair at CSU connected me with a chemical lab in the Charleston area; I worked as an intern at this lab for over a year. After graduation I was awarded a Department of Homeland Security HS-STEM grant and participated in a 10 week internship at a national laboratory. I was accepted to multiple graduate schools and was offered various fellowships. Because I had so many options, it meant I had the freedom to choose a graduate research program based on what I wanted. None of these achievements would have been possible without the support and expertise of the chemistry department at Charleston Southern University.

Ashley Allen / chemistry, ’15Doctoral candidate in analytical chemistry, University of South Carolina