College Junior Becomes First to Win Goldwater Scholarship

Alana White arrived at Presbyterian College with her future mapped out: complete the fast-track pharmacy program and move on. But a single organic chemistry class changed everything.

The junior from Lexington, South Carolina, just became the first student in her college's history to win a Goldwater Scholarship, one of the nation's top honors for undergraduate researchers in science and math. She's now among 454 scholars selected from over 5,000 students nationwide.

White credits assistant professor Dr. Kimberly De La Cruz with sparking the shift. "It was the first class I actually truly enjoyed," White said about her sophomore organic chemistry course. "I realized I wanted to try something different."

She made a bold choice: stepping away from the accelerated pharmacy track to pursue full chemistry research. "I figured, why not give it a try?" she said.

That decision led to a summer project investigating how low doses of carbon monoxide affect antibiotic effectiveness against bacterial growth. White designed and built specialized equipment to maintain consistent gas levels while testing how E. coli responded to various antibiotics.

The work wasn't easy. "It wasn't until about four weeks in that we were able to get reproducible results," White recalled. "There was a lot of troubleshooting."

Her persistence paid off with a peer-reviewed publication in microPublication Biology, where she served as first author. That's an uncommon achievement for undergraduates and a sign of real research leadership.

Why This Inspires

Her professors say White's success comes from something deeper than test scores. "She is a very good student, but that's not what makes her a good researcher," De La Cruz explained. "It's her work ethic and her perseverance."

Assistant professor Dr. Stuart Gordon watched White navigate setbacks with steady determination. "She perseveres when obstacles appear and finds ways through or around them without complaining," he said.

White nearly didn't apply for the Goldwater at all. "I didn't think I had much of a chance," she admitted. De La Cruz had to push her to submit an application, which White completed on the final day.

Presbyterian College president Dr. Anita Gustafson celebrated both the achievement and what it represents. "This honor places Alana among the most promising undergraduate researchers in the nation," Gustafson said. "She represents the very best of Presbyterian College and the limitless potential of our students."

White's journey shows that the best path forward isn't always the one you planned.