One more year and your degree is done. What have you been working on?

I’m almost done my general Bio degree, and I’m doing it with an Art and Design minor. It seems like a odd combination, and it has made for some crazy scheduling, but I’m doing them together because there is a grad program that I want to get into called Medical Illustration.

Is that where your hope of being a Maxillofacial Anaplastologist fits in?

Exactly. I need to have my anatomy down cold and be able to sculpt. It’s all about making prosthetics that are convincing and aesthetically pleasing. I did a job shadow at the Institute for Reconstructive Sciences in Medicine, and one of the positions there involves making the prosthetics. In order to do that, I need to complete what’s called the Biomedical Visualization Masters program.

That sounds easy... What is it about prosthetics that you like?

After doing a lot of isolated lab work, I realized that I wanted to do something that would make a tangible difference to people. There are a lot of people that are missing jaws, ears or noses from cancer or car accidents, so it seems like a really legitimate group of people that need help. It’ll be nice because I won’t have to give up my love of the arts, and I can marry it with my love of science.

From things you love, to things you hate. I’m told you dislike radio announcers. What is it about them that makes you angry?

Oh god, where do I begin!? Radio is bad enough as it is, but then it’s punctuated by these horrible, obnoxious radio announcers with funny nicknames. They think it’s all about them, and they never have anything interesting to say in the first place. All they do is shamelessly plug things and play bad sound effects.

You should rip their arms off and then make them new ones. Too far?