Beverley Rabbitts

Born: in 1983 in Cape Town, South Africa

Has lived in: Cape Town, South Africa; Yokohama, Japan; Houston and Dallas, Texas; and Singapore. Currently living in Baltimore, Maryland.

High School: Singapore American School, Singapore.

Major: Bio-chemistry and Molecular Biology

Languages spoken: Native speaker of English and Afrikaans; studied French, Japanese, and Xhosa (a southern African language).

Beverley graduated from Singapore American School (SAS) in 2002 and came to Lewis & Clark as one of a small, select group of students to receive a Neely Scholarship, a full-tuition grant awarded on the basis of Beverley's strong academic record.

When asked why she chose Lewis & Clark, Beverley said, "First of all, I loved the idea of a liberal arts education and the chance to do research with professors."

As a second-year student, Beverely was engaged in a research project with Greg Hermann, Assistant Professor of Biology. "Our research had to do with genetics and was officially titled 'Biogenesis of Lysosome-Related Organelles in C. elegans.'" Beverley and Professor Hermann tried to identify functions of specific genes in worms that relate to genes in human beings. "I had one-on-one meetings with Professor Hermann each week and spent between 5 and 10 hours a week in the lab. I also worked with a research team of other students. It was amazing to be doing this type of research, even as a sophomore. By my senior year, I was spent 5 to 10 hours a day in the lab! Lewis & Clark is one of the few colleges that offers such research opportunities to undergraduate students."

Before graduating from Lewis & Clark in May of 2006, Beverley achieved a long list of academic and research accomplishments. She was selected as a Pamplin Fellow, one of the highest academic awards at Lewis & Clark and was elected to Phi Beta Kappa, the national honor society. Beverley also graduated with honors in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology.

Beverley is currently on a full scholarship attending the Ph.D. program in biochemistry and molecular biology at Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, Maryland.

After serving on Lewis & Clark's TCK Advisory Board for her junior and senior years, Beverley shared this candid observation.

"My parents were thrilled that Lewis & Clark had a TCK group, but, I thought it was a load of bull! " Beverley admits. "It never occured to me how much I would identify with other TCKs and with international students. I really felt at home talking to people from other countries. I appreciate the fact that L&C enrolled so many TCKs and international students."