My name is Katja Bekcic and I am a 2021 ArtSci graduate with a major in biochemistry and a minor in history. One of my favourite things about ArtSci was that I had flexibility in choosing courses I was most interested in. I was also exposed to many courses I really enjoyed but would not have taken if I was in a different program. Another thing I really appreciated about ArtSci was that its small program size allowed many opportunities I would not have had otherwise. During my time at the University of Windsor, I was part of the Bachelor of Arts and Science Association as the Vice President of Academic Affairs during the 2019/2020 and 2020/2021 school years. I also participated in the Combining Two Cultures interdisciplinary conference as the Vice President of Social Affairs in 2020. I was also really lucky to be selected for the Outstanding Scholars program and completed research in Dr. Sirinart Ananvoranich’s lab where I learned about molecular biology methods to study Toxoplasma gondii.
Currently, I am completing the Master’s Program in Biomedicine at Karolinska Institute in Stockholm Sweden, which is actually the university that awards the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine! The research project I am working on right now is within the interdisciplinary field of pharmaceutical bioinformatics. Upon finishing my master’s, I hope to either continue my studies and pursue a PhD within bioinformatics or gain experience in the pharmaceutical industry. I think ArtSci really helped me get to where I am today, especially considering I have continued within a somewhat interdisciplinary field. First, I think the variety of courses I took with ArtSci helped me get into grad school because I had not only a strong biomedicine background but also a background in medical ethics through compulsory ArtSci courses and I was able to write a good application through the skills I picked up from my history minor. Second, the ability to take on various ArtSci leadership roles were not only fun but also useful. Additionally, after getting into grad school I am still benefiting from ArtSci since I already have knowledge of ethics and logic, which provides an advantage in the courses I am taking now. Overall, I am very thankful to have had such a wonderful undergraduate program that allowed me the flexibility to pursue what I like, become well-rounded, and ultimately set me up for success.