Following in the Footsteps of Great Teachers

Born and raised in the West African nation of Burkina Faso, Emilie Bouda came to the U.S. after high school.  She earned her associate’s degree from Hostos Community College, and then chose Hunter, she says, for “its reputation as the best of CUNY for the liberal arts, chemistry and biology.”

Bouda majored in biochemistry, and in Professor Dixie Goss’s lab, examined viruses that destroy economically important crops like rice, maize and barley, causing food scarcity and famine. At the same time, she participated in RAISE-W (Resource Assisted Initiatives in Science Empowerment for Women), and says an especially prized mentor was her RAISE-W advisor, Professor Mandë Holford, a biochemist committed to helping smart young women thrive in scientific research.

Bouda was also a McNair Scholar at Hunter, receiving priceless help from McNair administrators Carol Oliver and Rex Nobles. “The McNair program gave me the opportunity to attend many scientific conferences, present my research and network with scientists from universities across the country,” she says. 

Now at Stony Brook University pursuing her PhD in pharmacology, Bouda is exploring the structural basis of small molecules and protein interaction – basic research that impressed the NSF and may eventually help pharmacologists design more efficient therapeutic drugs. Her ultimate goal is to teach on the university level.

“At Hostos and Hunter, I had very inspiring teachers,” she says, “and I want to use my skills to inspire other students.”