After swimming for the Hornets for four years, Molly Roberts graduated in June with degrees in French and psychology. Later this month, Molly is traveling to Lille, France to complete a Fulbright Open Study/Research Award. Her research will focus on how poor sleep/sleep disorders may be related to an increase in intrusive memories in individuals who have PTSD (post-traumatic stress disorder).
Molly's experiences and connections at K helped prepare her for this next opportunity.
"Kalamazoo College prepared me in many ways," she said. "As hard as my research methods courses in psychology were, they really prepared me well to undertake my internship at U of M, my SIP, and now my Fulbright research. My internship after my sophomore year was the primary force in my desire to do post-graduate level research in neuroscience."
Molly interned with Dr. Berridge's Affective Neuroscience lab at the University of Michigan during the summer following her sophomore year. She completed her SIP (Senior Individualized Project) with Dr. Dubow at the University of Michigan using data from a five-wave longitudinal study that began in 2007, studying the relationship between holding aggressive social cognitions and subsequent aggressive and violent behavior in a young adult sample from Flint, Michigan. She planned to study abroad in France but was unable to go due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
As a Hornet swimmer, Molly earned All-MIAA honors in 2018 and 2021. She finished third in the 200 butterfly at the 2019 MIAA Championships and second in 2021. She was named to the MIAA Academic Honor Roll three times.
"K Swimming and Diving helped me not only become better in the pool, but also develop into a well-rounded person by teaching me life skills that I would need after graduation. I had such phenomenal role models that I learned so many great yet hard lessons from throughout my years on the team. I gained discipline, drive, and confidence from being a swimmer at Kalamazoo College."
Molly recognized Dr. Siu-Lan Tan as her Most Valuable Professor earlier in the year, describing her as "an extraordinary professor, advisor, and overall mentor to me these last four years." Molly also was a teaching assistant for Dr. Tan and is grateful to work with and learn from such an inspiring woman.
In addition, Molly is grateful to Jessica Fowle for her assistance in obtaining the Fulbright grant, being phenomenal at her job, and for being a magnificent person!