It’s quite unusual for an undergraduate to be awarded a
prestigious graduate internship but that’s exactly what happened to
Shahper Rahman, a junior enrolled in St. John’s Toxicology program.
In May, Shahper will be heading to a graduate internship at Proctor
and Gamble’s laboratories in Cincinnati, Ohio where she will work
with toxicologists who ensure the safety of the company’s personal
care products.
It was the scope and depth of Shahper’s undergraduate Toxicology
studies, which far surpassed those of undergrads at other colleges
and universities, that impressed P&G’s representative at a
recent Society of Toxicology meeting in New Orleans. Despite the
fact that P&G has a separate internship program for
undergraduates, he urged Shahper to apply for a graduate level
internship.
After submitting her application, she had an hour-long phone
interview with two P&G toxicologists, during which time they
asked her about St. John's, her science and toxicology courses, her
research project, her extracurricular activities and her goals. At
the end of that interview, she was told that the internship was
hers, the only one of nine available that was awarded to an
undergraduate.
Clearly an exceptional student, Shahper is totally engaged at
St. John’s. She is a McNair scholar, works at the Career
Center, is involved in a research project in Professor Sue Ford’s
laboratory, is president-elect of Tau Omega Chi (a club for
students of Toxicology) and was recently elected editor of the
yearbook.
Professor Ford has nothing but praise for her student. “I'm sure
she will be an excellent representative of St. John's and also will
bring back some valuable experience to share with faculty and
students.”
View more information on the McNair
Scholars Grant