Hope Zehr
PhD Student - Lerner Research Institute, CCF at Washkewicz College of Engineering, Cleveland State University
“My science teacher was the first person to take a particular interest in my growth as a young girl fascinated by science. My mathematics teacher was equally impactful in that she helped me develop my confidence. Besides being 7th grade teachers, one thing these two teachers had in common was that they both were women dedicated in STEM.”
Read Hope’s full profile below
Where did you grow up?
I grew up mostly in Fishers, Indiana, but moved a few times.
Who was your favorite teacher and why?
Two of my most impactful teachers actually were both in the same school year – 7th grade. My science teacher was the first person to take a particular interest in my growth as a young girl fascinated by science. She challenged, supported, and encouraged me to embrace my desire to pursue the discovery of science. My mathematics teacher was equally impactful in that she helped me develop my confidence. At this point in my life, I had just moved to a new school and was doubting myself, so I would consistently go up to her and ask her for validation. She would respond with “trust in your math.” Besides being 7th grade teachers, one thing these two teachers had in common was that they both were women dedicated in STEM.
What inspired you to pursue a career in STEM/Healthcare?
Honestly, there really isn’t one thing that inspired me to choose STEM/healthcare as the foundation for my career – it was rather a series of events and experiences. The earliest memory I have is visiting my second cousin’s microbiology laboratory at Washington University when I was around nine years old. This was the first time I had ever stepped foot into a laboratory and has inspired me ever since.
What were your moments of fear/challenges in your career?
One of the biggest challenges I faced was during my junior year of my undergraduate degree. Despite being completely remote due to COVID, I had the four hardest courses of my major with one another, while also working two jobs. I spread myself incredibly thin and ended up withdrawing from a course. At this time, I was embarrassed and felt like a failure for withdrawing; however, looking back now, that was the bravest and best thing I could’ve done because it allowed me the time to focus on the other courses. It is not shameful to need to rebalance your workload.
What are some of the innovations in science that you are most excited about?
There are SO many I am excited about! I am generally very excited about translational research, so anything that is applicable to the real-world markets and health. This is part of the reason I love what I do in my graduate studies.
What’s next for you?/What would you like to do when you “grow up’? (retire, etc.)/ what is something you hope to accomplish in the future?
Although I am still very early in my doctoral program, my long-term goal is to be a university professor and researcher. I adore teaching and learning new skills - becoming a professor has been in the cards for me for a long time.
Personal style/fashion tip?
My fashion tip for research students is to dress comfortably but stylishly! This may seem obvious but trust me, it isn’t. Working at the Cleveland Clinic, business casual/professional attire is required for the role. However, I have found ways to make my stylish clothes “comfortable” so that I can withstand lengthy standing experiments. My personal work clothes in the summer and spring is a cardigan, plain shirt, slacks, and some sneakers (because lab life). While for the fall and winter is usually a sweater, slacks, and boots.
Favorite website/blog/”guilty pleasure”/fun?
I sort of have two Instagram “guilty pleasures,” and I am not ashamed! My first one would be anything and everything animals. I was raised always having animals, my family fostered (still does) animals, and now I have two cats for myself, so I just adore seeing any animal pictures/videos. My second guilty pleasure would be the science and PhD community on Instagram. It sounds silly but sometimes it is easy to feel secluded and alone when you go about your day-to-day in the lab. But seeing other people go through similar hardships and lab struggles as you, help tremendously.