Elizabeth Ramsey

My name is Elizabeth Ramsey and I am 22. I have two daughters, ages 6 and 1. I had my first daughter very young, at 16 to be exact, so my schooling has always had some unique challenges, but also so much motivation to do well. After having Adalynn, my first daughter, I withdrew from public high school and home schooled myself through American School of Correspondence. I completed school a year and a half early with an advanced high school diploma. By doing this, I started my college education a year early at Calhoun Community College. I had one simple goal: to be able to graduate and get a job to provide for my family. Amidst my prerequisite classes to become an RN, I completed a microbiology course. That microbiology class led me to discover my passion for working in the lab. I graduated CCC with an Associates of Science with a 3.6 GPA. I worked 1-2 jobs while attending school there and raising my older daughter, Adalynn. I was accepted into two honors societies whilst attending CCC: Phi Theta Kappa and Sigma Kappa Delta.
Also during my time at Calhoun Community College, my doctors discovered my stage 1 colon cancer (I was 19 at the time.) Since 19 is unbelievably young to have colon cancer, especially with no family history, I underwent genetic testing to find if I had a genetic predisposition that the family just did not know of yet. My doctors suspicions were correct; we found that I had Lynch Syndrome. This surprising occurrence in my life raised my interest in cancer research.
Upon completion of my Associate's at CCC, I had my second daughter, Meda, and I transferred to University of Alabama in Huntsville to further my education. The plan now is to get a Bachelor's in Biology with a double minor in Chemistry and Computer Science at UAH. Then, after getting my dream job (which may require more school), I'll be able to put away money over several years and be able to send my daughters to college one day!