Marian University’s Grace McIntyre ’22 will get an impressive jump start on her graduate studies. She recently won the National Science Foundation’s Graduate Research Fellowship Program (GRFP) award. The organization supports outstanding graduate students who are pursuing research-based master's and doctoral degrees.
“I am beyond excited to have earned this award,” McIntyre said. “I am also very thankful for all of the mentorships I have received here at Marian that made this possible. Receiving this award is a great way to celebrate all of our hard work during my undergraduate career.”
McIntyre’s hard work is paying off as the research fellowship she won is huge. Note this. Of the approximate 13,000 undergraduate and graduate students who apply, only 15 percent, or 2,000 undergrad and graduate students receive funding awards.
“Overall, Grace is an ultimate steward of Marian’s Franciscan sponsorship values,” said Jason Chan, Ph.D., Marian University’s assistant professor of biology and one of McIntyre’s proud professors. “She embodies the type of student Marian faculty works hard for. I know all of Marian is very proud of providing a nurturing and supportive environment that allowed Grace to grow and is now celebrating with her as her graduation nears.”
Being an exceptional student, McIntyre is frequently on the dean’s list with a 4.00 average and comes from a legacy of Marian alums including her parents, Phillip McIntyre ’94 and Marlene McIntyre ’98, her grandmother Jeanita Schulten ’80, as well as several uncles and cousins.
“My family is incredibly supportive and very proud of me,” she said. “They are incredibly thankful for the faculty and staff here at Marian and all they do to support students like me.” McIntyre plans to obtain her Ph.D. in cellular and molecular pathology at the University of Michigan after her acceptance to 10 other top-ranked schools in the nation.
The list of McIntyre’s praiseworthy accomplishments doesn’t stop with this latest award. She also has a first author publication and was awarded the prestigious Barry Goldwater Scholarship last year, as well as winning the international Genetics Society of America poster competition and travel awards. She’s received multiple Sigma Zeta research grants, as well as an inaugural Sharon Gall Lecher Memorial Research Award.
If that’s not enough, she’s also vice president of the Sigma Zeta honor society, a former presidential ambassador, and a community volunteer. In addition, McIntyre is a student-athlete who placed in the top-five competition last season as a pole vaulter on Marian’s track and field team.
How does she find time for all of the academic excellence awards she’s racked up? McIntyre takes it all in stride. With her knack for organization and a love for staying busy, she admits, “My secret to success is having mentors who’ve challenged me to be better and think differently.”
And with the guidance she’s received, McIntyre has certainly put that advice into action.
