Steve Gangloff's Alumni Testimonial

I was immediately drawn to Fredonia for its welcoming and personable atmosphere, small class sizes, and focus on a customized and unique experience for each student. I had always heard involvement in college is necessary to synthesize that true “college experience,” but to a shy freshman in a new place, this was a scary task. Luckily at my first Fredonia“Activities Night” my apprehension was quickly overturned. I watched in wonder as huge congregations of students swarmed into the center of campus playing instruments, beating drums, and waving the banners of nearly 200 clubs. That was my first step toward campus involvement. Ultimately, I became the president of the Biology Club and two national honor societies, and was an active member of many other student groups. Through these outlets I was constantly involved in events on campus, in the local community, and on a national scale. I have flipped a boat white water rafting, jumped off a waterfall, planted trees for sustainability, marched for suicide prevention, and had a severe-stage cancer patient hold my hand, look me in the eyes, and say “thank you”. Through resources provided by Fredonia, I also performed an internship at a local hospital, was employed as a tutor of Biology, and started an online business.

During my junior and senior years at SUNY Fredonia I was involved in a research project under the mentorship of Dr. Scott Ferguson in the fields of molecular biology and genetics. The experience was incredibly rewarding on a professional and personal level, and I shared information about my research with the admissions board during my interview at the University of Buffalo School of Medicine. Most of the interview was spent discussing my research, and I feel that my knowledge and enthusiasm for the project played a strong role in my acceptance. In fact, the very next day I received a letter from UB. Out of 4000 applicants, I was one of only 144 accepted into the medical school.

My undergraduate research has, and will continue to, benefit me far beyond Fredonia. The medical world is changing, and these days doctors are expected to know about genetics and molecular biology, and medical students are expected to be experienced and comfortable with performing research. Furthermore, to be a successful physician one must function both individually as a scientist and collaboratively with his team, and he must think critically, quickly, and sharply for his patient’s sake. My research experience at SUNY Fredonia has already planted the seeds for this necessary personal growth. Further, aided by this vigor for research and wealth of experience, I was awarded an NIDDK scholarship to perform research at the Joslin Diabetes Center at Harvard Medical School during the summer of my first year of medical school. This is the foremost diabetes center in the world, and the award was given to only six medical students in the country.

The SUNY Fredonia Biology Department faculty and staff supported me through my struggles, and shared in celebrating my successes. I was fortunate to have such wonderful and beneficial opportunities right at my fingertips. I am grateful to the caring and invested professors in the biology department at Fredonia, who do a wonderful job providing their students with scientifically relevant, legitimate, and progressive education and research opportunities. Thanks to Fredonia, I have embarked toward fulfilling my dream to become a physician, and for that I could not be more grateful!'

Steven Gangloff B.S. in Biology, SUNY Fredonia, Class of 2012 University at Buffalo School of Medicine, Class of 2016