About a year ago, I wrote a blog about a mentor of mine here at Juniata, and since I am heading into my last semester and nostalgia is hitting me like a tsunami, I thought I should revisit the topic. My current mentor came into my life about the same time I wrote the last blog about mentorship and, at the time, I had no idea what an effect her mentoring would have on me.

Dr. Regina Lamendella has been at Juniata for just about six years now but she has definitely left an enduring mark. About two years ago, Dr. L and one of her former students Justin Wright, decided to start their very own bioinformatics company, Wright Labs, to fill a niche in the ever growing world of bioinformatics. The specific area of bioinformatics that we dabble in is host and environment microbial interactions. Basically we analyze how bacteria in the human body affects certain disorders and overall human health, and how certain bacteria in the environment are helping to improve or worsen the condition of said environment. We work on a wide array of projects with an even wider array of collaborators, some students working alongside top names in the sciences like the EPA.

Through Wright Labs and the tireless efforts of Dr. L and Justin, the students in their lab have had the opportunity to do some amazing,  graduate school level work as undergrads. That kind of research experience, regardless of the field you want to go into, is invaluable and very impressive to an interview committee of a graduate or medical school program (I know as I am currently in the graduate school search process).

Its not the various projects and tools that Dr. L has made accessible to the members of her lab that makes her such a good mentor though. I have never in my life met someone with quite the work ethic and stamina that Dr. L possesses. She is always in meetings with collaborators or writing grants or teaching classes and lab courses or raising her two kids. Yet despite her insanely busy schedule, she always finds time for her students when they need her. You might find a quick ten minutes with her over lunch or you might catch her on a walk around the quad with her new baby. But no matter where she is or what she is doing, she’ll make the time to talk to you.

Above all, though I think without meaning to, Dr. L is teaching those of us in her lab how to be good mentors, and by that same virtue to be mentees. She teaches us how to ask good questions and is constantly challenging us to think critically about the research we do and about the research others do. Almost weekly two of the lab members present on a paper on some new advance in the world of bioinformatics, and its our job as lab members to delve into it and see if the results makes sense and if the methodology was sound.

When it comes down to it, Dr. L has made me a better person by making me a better student. Her guidance has helped me become more focused and organized in my academic life which has translated into the way I live my personal life. And my experience with Dr. L is not an isolated event. Every professor at Juniata strives to mentor their students to not only make them better learners, but better members of society. The professors here take an honest interest in their students’ lives and do their best to guide and help them through their four years here. Without Dr. L I still wouldn’t really know what I wanted to do with my life and I definitely would not be accepted into a graduate program. For that reason I will be forever grateful to Dr. L.

Coming to Juniata was not a hard choice for me. Once the acceptance letters came in and I was left looking at Gettysburg and Juniata, my path was clear. I knew I would get a phenomenal education and be ready for whatever grad school or med school had to throw at me. What I didn’t know was whether or not I would be bored out of my mind for four years. I come from a small town in northern New Mexico, so I am used to the mild boredom that is bound to accompany living in a small rural community. On the other hand, central Pennsylvania with its Amish communities and verdant “mountains” would end up being a completely different experience. The summer before I left for Juniata, my coworkers teased me, saying that I was going to return the next summer sporting an Amish wife and several Amish children on my hip.

Thankfully that was not the case. When I arrived in Huntingdon I was struck by its picturesque quaintness. Huntingdon has a pleasant mix of revolutionary war era buildings next to more modern edifices. Huntingdon is a far cry from towns like the neighboring State College, home of Penn State, but it has its own blend of unique activities to offer. Standing Stone coffee company is a local favorite of students and townsfolk alike. After we are done studying there during the day, we often stick around for the monthly Saturday night trivia. (We haven’t won a single round or game yet, but we’re sticking with it!) Downtown we have a wide array of restaurants and cafes offering everything from pizza to scones.

If you’re not in the mood for food, you could head out to the bowling alley or movie theater and catch the latest blockbusters in our five screen movie theater. But if you are feeling cooped up and need some fresh air there is the beautiful Peace Chapel trail system only a mile walk from the college. It’s a great spot to run or hike or bike or to just sit and ponder. And of course if you tire of the rural life, State College is just a short drive away with somewhat more to offer the young college student seeking entertainment.

Whenever prospective students ask me whether or not there are things to do in Huntingdon, it’s never a hard answer. Maybe it’s because I grew up in a small rural community like Huntingdon, or maybe it’s because I have grown used to life in Huntingdon, but I never feel bored at Juniata. There is always something to do. Sometimes you just have to go out and search for it.

One of the first things that initially drew me to Juniata were all of it’s crazy, unique traditions- when I was looking into Juniata I spent over an hour on YouTube watching videos about all of the traditions here. This past weekend my personal favorite Juniata tradition, Madrigal, took place. Madrigal dinner comes as a reward after a grueling week of tenting. For one week during the fall, which somehow always happens to be the coldest week, students sleep in tents and are awoken almost every hour of the night for role calls and to compete in events in order to gain points. The groups with the most amount of points get to select and secure their table at the Madrigal dinner first. The competition during tenting can get pretty intense, but in the end it’s all worth it for getting to have the perfect Madrigal evening.

As a Juniatian, the entire process of Madrigal didn’t seem that weird to me, but my date was pretty confused the whole night. The pinnacle of Madrigal dinner is singing “The 12 Days of Christmas”- at the top of your lungs…while standing on your chair. While this is an integral part of the Juniata experience, it’s not something you’ll find anywhere else, so to outsiders it may seem a little strange. The dinner is also served by faculty and staff members dressed in silly Christmas attire, which makes it even more fun. That professor who just gave you some feedback on a paper that you aren’t happy about? She’s refilling your water glass. Did your boss give you a long list of work for the week? He’s serving you your chocolate cake. Things like that are a part of what make me love Juniata so much, if I went to a school that was bigger than this I would never get to experience this kind of quirky, fun event. Plus, who doesn’t love a good excuse to get all dressed up with their best friends? Madrigal is another example of how Juniata traditions bringing everyone together to give us a special kind of experience and sense of community and togetherness that you just can’t find anywhere else.