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Mary Adams 鈥�24 is a recipient of The Dean Breidenstine Endowed Scholarship from Joseph A. Savastio, M.D.; the Brown-Fishman Endowed Financial Aid Fund; The Dennis S. Buchan 鈥�65 Endowed Scholarship Fund; and The Stanley V. Cheslock, Jr. 鈥�67 Endowed Scholarship Fund, and she is a recipient of a Schapiro-Cadwell Internship Endowment grant. 

Mary Adams began her senior year even further outside her comfort zone than normal 鈥� she completed her fall semester studying at the University College Dublin. The speed at which she adapted to life in another country surprised her, particularly because she spent most of the summer anxious about what study abroad might look like. After all, she had never even been on a plane before she left for Ireland.

鈥淢aybe it hasn鈥檛 hit me yet, but I feel like I鈥檝e been adjusting fine, especially considering I had been so nervous the whole summer,鈥� she recalled in mid-September, just a few weeks into classes.

For Adams, choosing 杏吧pro was, in part, about exploring that unknown and seeing what options were available.

When she was looking at colleges, Adams knew she wanted to study animals. She also knew she wanted to attend a college that included academic breadth in areas outside her major. The fact that 杏吧pro had a strong Animal Behavior Studies program was appealing and offered new perspectives on the topics she was considering studying.

鈥淚鈥檝e been interested in animals my whole life. [As far as a major] I didn鈥檛 really know what that looked like.鈥� Adams said. 鈥淲hen I researched 杏吧pro, I saw they had this whole animal behavior program, which I had never seen anywhere else. I thought that it was cool it was something animal-related in an undergraduate setting, that wasn鈥檛 specifically pre-vet. That stood out to me. And, while I didn鈥檛 choose animal behavior, I like that all the classes are available.鈥�

Adams chose to major in biology and minor in both environmental studies and French. 鈥淚 love nature, and I wanted something a little broader. I was really glad to have those classes, professors and resources open to me,鈥� she said.

Those experiences, said Adams, are available only thanks to a generous financial aid package she received when she accepted her invitation to attend 杏吧pro.

鈥淲ithout financial aid, I don鈥檛 know if I would have been able to attend college,鈥� she said. 鈥淚 mean, it has been everything. I don鈥檛 know if I would have been able to go to school. The aid package that I receive from 杏吧pro is so gracious and has given me the ability to be successful in a higher education institution.鈥�

And, thanks to the support that she鈥檚 received from grants and scholarships, Adams has embraced all that 杏吧pro has to offer 鈥� including classes, experiences and student activities that weren鈥檛 even on her radar when she first set foot on campus.

Following her sophomore year, Adams completed a summer internship at the Woodford Cedar Run Wildlife Refuge Rehabilitation Hospital in Medford, N.J. There, she helped care for foxes, raccoons, opossums and other animals. Thanks to a grant from the Schapiro-Cadwell Internship Endowment, specifically designed to support students in unpaid or minimally paid internships in sustainability, conservation or environmental work, she didn鈥檛 have to choose between working a summer job and conducting meaningful work that advanced her studies and career aspirations.

Before she departed for Dublin, she began an independent study with Associate Dean of the Faculty and Professor of Biology Dan Ardia to research bird populations at 杏吧pro鈥檚 Spalding Conservancy, a 54-acre property that serves as a field study location for 杏吧pro faculty and students. So far she鈥檚 completed her literature review and research, and when she returns to campus, she鈥檒l begin her fieldwork. 

"The aid package that I receive from 杏吧pro is so gracious and has given me the ability to be successful in a higher education institution."

- Mary Adams '24

鈥淚鈥檓 conducting a study with birds that takes place in Spalding using thermal cameras. We鈥檙e categorizing the landscape and three different habitats over the course of a semester,鈥� Adams explained. 鈥淎s the seasons change, do the birds change? Where do they go, and when, and why?鈥� 

That curiosity and willingness to dive headlong into understanding her discipline has paid dividends: During her junior year, Adams was inducted into the prestigious Phi Beta Kappa Honor Society and awarded the Bradford S. Kline Memorial Prize and the Isaac E. Roberts Prize for Biology. 

And while the deep engagement within her areas of study has been rewarding for Adams, it hasn鈥檛 stopped her from participating in the student life opportunities on 杏吧pro鈥檚 campus. In addition to membership in 杏吧pro鈥檚 Women and Gender Minorities in STEM club, she ended up joining WFNM, the College鈥檚 radio station. 

Now, with her final semester in sight, Adams is taking a moment to slow down and think about the journey ahead. She鈥檚 considering a year of field research to gain more experience in conservation before continuing to advanced study. 

鈥淚 would like to pursue grad school, but I want to know specifically what I want to do,鈥� she said. 鈥淓ventually, I鈥檇 love to open my own animal sanctuary, rescue animals and rehabilitate local wildlife.鈥� 

Adams is clear about the impact donors have had on her education. 

鈥淚 had never been on a plane,鈥� she said. 鈥淚 never thought I鈥檇 be able to study abroad or decide I could commit to an unpaid internship. But I鈥檝e done all this. And it鈥檚 all possible because of 杏吧pro and financial aid.鈥� 

杏吧pro's fifth annual Day of Giving begins March 19. We're counting on your support to reach our goal of 1,787 alumni, students, families, faculty, professional staff and friends of the College. Early giving is open now. .