Katie Goodfellow, originally from Katy, Texas, received her bachelor’s of science in engineering this spring and was honored with undergraduate student leadership awards from both the Cockrell School of Engineering and Department of Biomedical Engineering. She tells us about how volunteer service enriched her UT Austin experience and gives advice for incoming students.
How did you know you wanted to major in biomedical engineering?
I decided during my senior year of high school. My dad was an engineer, and I was his math and science kid. My favorite classes in high school were chemistry and biology. Biomedical engineering was the perfect marriage of math and science.
What volunteer activities were you involved in?
My longstanding involvement has been with the clinic volunteer program at University Health Services. UT is one of the few schools where the university clinic has decided that it’s worth it for students to have hands-on clinical experience. Volunteers train extensively and function as medical assistants. I was able to meet students from across campus, and it was fulfilling to know that your presence is reassuring to students who aren’t feeling well.
I also was a rider for Texas 4000 for Cancer, which raises money for cancer research and cancer support organizations through a 4,000-mile bike ride from Austin to Anchorage. As part of my 18-month training ahead of the bike ride, I participated in bike races and raised money that ultimately goes to research organizations like MD Anderson Cancer Center and the Department of Biomedical Engineering, and to support organizations like Brent’s Place, which is a house for families with kids who are about to receive bone marrow transplants.
I also participated in Texas Orange Jackets, the oldest women’s honorary service organization on campus. Orange Jackets has done a lot of service work for the university. The Barbara Jordan statue on campus, for example, was an Orange Jackets’ project. I served as the Settlement Home director. Settlement Home is a therapeutic group home for girls who have been taken out of the foster home system. Most of them come from chaotic or abusive backgrounds. We organized activities like crafting, and the main purpose of that service work is show these girls that they’re worth showing up for and spending time with.
What experiences in the BME Department made an impact on you?
While I was on the Texas 4000 ride over the summer between my sophomore and junior year, my mom was diagnosed with cancer, and given a year to live. When I came back to school in the fall how I felt about what I was learning immediately changed and became relevant in a very personal way.
In my Biomaterials class with Dr. Laura Suggs, we learned about the coagulation cascade and how cancer patients’ blood doesn’t coagulate nearly as well even if they’re not on blood thinners. I learned about that a week after my mom had a massive hematoma. In molecular engineering we learned about EFGR inhibitors which are a new form of therapy for cancer patients who have a specific mutation, and my mom was starting an experimental treatment with them around the same time I was learning about them. And all throughout immune engineering we learned a lot about immunotherapy. Most of my really meaningful experiences in biomedical engineering have been with professors who let me ask questions after class and during office hours to get information specifically about how it related to what my mom was going through. My main way of coping was to gain more information.
I also learned about clinical trials. In BME, we talked about them as they related more to devices. But it was a helpful, relevant connection to me because my mom started a clinical trial in January, which is a targeted therapy for a mutation that she has in 60% of her cancer cells. She has been doing well in that clinical trial and got to see me graduate!
What are you doing after graduation and why?
I’m applying to medical school for entry year of 2020. I didn’t take the MCAT right away because of what my mom was going through, so I’m taking a gap year and staying in Austin to do full-time ministry with my church.
I chose medical school because I want to be able to see the impact of my work and how it affects people.
What advice would you give to incoming students?
My main advice would be to get involved. It’s the best way to get connected, be fulfilled, and find things you’re passionate about. I didn’t imagine I’d be biking to Alaska or be a part of Orange Jackets, or even doing medicine. But from the people I met and the ways I got involved, I learned more about myself and my interests.
I learned about Texas 4000 from a BMES meeting I went to during my freshman year. I didn’t continue going to BMES meetings, but it was a good place to learn about other opportunities because I heard about the experience from a senior from Dr. Amy Brock’s lab who had done the ride. It’s difficult to put yourself out there as a freshman and show up to things, but I’ve seen my friends find communities and passions they didn’t expect to find. UT Austin has so many opportunities. Get started early to find out what you want your spaces to be.
