COSAM News Articles 2020 February Meet Some of the 2019-2020 COSAM Leaders!

Meet Some of the 2019-2020 COSAM Leaders!

Published: 02/18/2020

COSAM Leaders is a group of COSAM juniors and seniors who serve as the official student representatives of the college. Comprised of eight men and eight women, COSAM Leaders promote resources and events within the college, engage with faculty, staff and alumni, host distinguished visitors, present awards, and recruit prospective COSAM students, among other tasks.

Through the COSAM Leaders Mentorship Program, leaders share their knowledge and experience of navigating the challenge of being a COSAM student, assist with classes and involvement opportunities, and answer any questions or concerns one may have.

COSAM Leaders are selected each spring, following an application process. Leaders maintain good standing within the college and an overall 3.0 GPA.

John Smith

John is a senior studying biomedical sciences, pre-medicine. Following graduation, John will attend medical school at the University of Alabama at Birmingham. Just as with any college student, John’s time in COSAM has been full of both successes and speed bumps.

As a pre-medicine student, John spent months studying for the Medical College Admission Test (MCAT) on top of his regular class schedule and coursework. John says a challenge he faced during this process was receiving an average score on the test, despite putting in countless hours of studying. Additionally, the pressure of interviewing at different medical schools resulted in stress and little sleep for John during the process.

Looking back on his time at Auburn, John remembers not being accepted into numerous involvement organizations his freshman year. However, through interview practice and perseverance, John spent the next three years very involved in leadership roles – COSAM Leaders, to name one!

Highlights of John’s time at Auburn include consistently making the Dean’s List for COSAM, being accepted into UAB Medical School, and raising a puppy his senior year.

Ryleigh Randall

Ryleigh is a junior studying laboratory science, pre-medicine. Ryleigh’s COSAM experience has been full of trying time and glorious moments that have helped her gain confidence and experience as she works to pursue a career in medicine.

During her time at Auburn, Ryleigh received a yearlong undergraduate research fellowship in muscle biochemistry, as well as became a toxicity analyst at an environmental laboratory. Additionally, this COSAM Leader was awarded Outstanding Junior of the Year by the Lambda Tau Laboratory Science Honor Society.

Despite these accolades and recognitions, Ryleigh faces speed bumps in her studies just as every student does. She says a few of the challenges she has had to overcome include making her first B in General Chemistry II, balancing MCAT preparation while taking classes, and persevering through a tough time in Organic Chemistry.

These experiences combined have helped Ryleigh regain confidence in her desired field and assist others in COSAM with similar stories.

Will Pennington

Will is a senior studying physics and political science. Following graduation, Will plans to pursue a career in defense industry as an engineer. Will’s time in COSAM continues to offer him numerous opportunities, while also teaching him how to handle challenges when things do not go as planned.

While at Auburn, Will has consistently made the Dean’s List for COSAM. Additionally, at the COSAM 2019 Research Fair, Will received second place for a joint Physics/Engineering project through the Auburn University Small Satellite Program – a highlight of his Auburn experience!

Looking back, Will reflects on some of the difficulties he faced during his college career. These challenges include not receiving an involvement opportunity he really wanted, applying to numerous research programs for the summer of 2019 and receiving no acceptances, and having to withdraw from a difficult course that originally seemed exciting. Because of these challenges, Will is able to give genuine advice and answers to questions to COSAM students facing similar situations.

Will was recently offered a job with a defense contracting firm in Huntsville.