When alumna Claire Truongdang, Biochemistry \u201924, started at UW Bothell, she wasn\u2019t sure what to expect from college.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Having moved from Vietnam years earlier, she and her family were unfamiliar with the application process. With help from someone at her high school, she applied to UW Bothell because it was close to home and easy for her family to access.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Once at UW Bothell, she started in psychology but changed course after her mother faced serious health issues. \u201cI just wanted to understand what she was going through,\u201d Truongdang said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
It was then a chemistry course with Dr. Brandon Finley that sparked a new passion. \u201cHe changed my life,\u201d she said. \u201cHe made me want to spend my whole day thinking about chemistry.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
With his encouragement, she switched to biochemistry and found a new direction in college and in a career.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Through UW Bothell, Truongdang gained access to resources across the University of Washington. She joined the Maternal-Fetal Research Lab at UW Medicine, mentored by Dr. Stephen McCartney and Dr. Raj Shree, where she studied how pregnancy may unlock new insights into diseases like cancer and knowledge about human parturition mechanisms.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cPregnancy is often seen as an invasion \u2014 like a tumor \u2014 but the body tolerates it,\u201d she said. \u201cUnderstanding that could help us find cures.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Even after graduation, she has continued research with Dr. McCartney and Dr. Shree, exploring her interest in both science and social impact, especially in reproductive health care. \u201cPregnancy research is so underexplored,\u201d she said. \u201cIt\u2019s more than just uteruses, vulvas and vaginas. It can teach us about cancer, cardiovascular disease and more.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
While her lab work as a student took place at the UW in Seattle, Truongdang said the foundation she built at UW Bothell was essential. \u201cOur campus feels small, but it opens doors across the UW,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
She credited Dr. Finley for inspiring her academic shift, Dr. Marc Servetnick for helping her secure research funding from the Associated Students of the UW Bothell and Dr. Brian White for connecting underrepresented students (including her sister) to internship opportunities at UW Medicine and other labs in Seattle.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Now working full time in the UW Medicine lab while preparing to apply to M.D.-Ph.D. programs, Truongdang said she hopes eventually to lead her own lab, advance research that improves lives and support patients through complex health decisions just like her current mentors.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
In addition to the support of faculty, this path was made possible through financial support, including the UW Bothell Alumni Endowed Scholarship and the Worthington Scholarship.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
When her mother was laid off, the extra support helped her continue her studies. \u201cThat summer, those scholarships reduced the financial burden on our family\u2019s budget by not having the added expenses of school.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
To the alumni who fund scholarships through efforts like the UW Bothell Husky 5K, Truongdang offered heartfelt thanks. \u201cIt\u2019s not about big, flashy gifts,\u201d she said. \u201cIt\u2019s about giving back to the communities we came from. That kind of awareness is the highest level of giving.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Despite the challenges, Truongdang found her voice \u2014 and it is clear, focused and grounded in purpose.<\/p>\n\n\n\n