Over the summer, 2021 FOSSI scholar Gianni Phillips, a senior at North Carolina A&T State University, participated in a six-week Summer Exploration Internship at CF Industries, a new FOSSI sponsor. During orientation week at CF Industries headquarters in Chicago, she shared her thoughts on why she chose STEM, the impact of the FOSSI scholarship, her long-term career goals, and more! Read more and watch the full video below.
What inspired you to pursue a STEM degree?
My inspiration really came from doing reactions in high school, and my love of just asking why. We did a reaction that caused the gummy bear to scream when you added potassium chlorate to it. I think my love and interest for that really drove me to pursue a STEM degree in Chemistry.
How has FOSSI impacted your educational journey?
FOSSI has really provided me financial stability throughout obtaining my college degree, and, actually helped me connect with different companies and gain new experiences in the field. It's really been a very good opportunity from that aspect.
What are your long-term goals and how will your STEM education help you achieve them?
My long-term professional goals are becoming a research scientist and so, going into that field I want to be able to innovate and create sustainable processes for the industry. That's not specific to one field since I am still an undergraduate student and hopefully pursuing a PhD in Organic Chemistry. Diving headfirst into innovative and sustainable challenges is really my goal. My STEM background has really pushed that, as far as learning, innovating and just coming up with new ideas that can help the industry.
Watch the full interview below!
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