A UMass Amherst alumna established a scholarship to support the Department of Microbiology.

Image

Olivia Perlstein Jecklin ’17 loved her time at UMass Amherst. The Stoneham, Massachusetts native found a sense of belonging, first in her dorm—she was part of the honors biology Residential Academic Program—and later in the Sigma Delta Tau sorority.

“I loved being at UMass,” she says. “I’m still very close with many people I met there.”

Jecklin majored in microbiology, and in the spring of her sophomore year joined a lab researching genetic modification of yeast strains. She appreciated the close-knit environment of the lab, where she worked for the remainder of her undergraduate career.

After graduating from UMass, Jecklin moved to New York City, where she worked as a clinical research coordinator in the Immunotherapeutics Department at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center. In that role, she helped facilitate Phase 1 clinical trials for cancer drugs, eventually specializing in blood cancers.

Jecklin soon began thinking about graduate school, and her experience with institutional review boards working towards FDA approval inspired her to explore the legal side of the process. She decided law school would be her next step.

“I chose Seton Hall because of its strong health law program,” Jecklin says. “This allowed me to do a concentration in health law, so I was able to specialize, which was really important to me.”

Following law school, Jecklin joined the litigation department of a big law firm in the city, where she says she “really enjoyed learning a lot, but wanted to refocus my practice back towards health care.” She currently works for a boutique firm in New York City, with a focus on health care.

“I work with many different types of clients, from individuals to large health care companies, doing a combination of health care regulatory and advisory work, civil litigation, and white-collar defense,” she explains. “Having a diverse practice keeps my days interesting. I always want to be learning new things and staying intellectually stimulated, and this keeps my work interesting.”

Jecklin says her UMass education prepared her well for her career, even though she didn’t pursue science professionally.

“So much of science is ruling things out, one variable at a time. This systematic approach to problem solving can be used in many industries,” she says. “Any sort of real-life work—which I got a lot of at UMass, especially working in a lab—showed me how to commit to being on a team and grow with the team.”

This insight is something Jecklin is happy to share with current UMass students.

“I have spoken to students in classes, and I tell them to take advantage of as many opportunities as they can,” she says. “It doesn’t have to be directly related to their future plans. Any professional experience—learning communication skills and responsibility, taking pride in your work—will help you somehow.”

Giving back

In addition to sharing valuable insights with current students, Jecklin also decided to support students financially by establishing the Jecklin Scholarship in Microbiology, a current-use scholarship for students in the Department of Microbiology.

Jecklin’s decision was inspired by the important role scholarships played in her own educational opportunities.

“Scholarships were so important to me. They made a difference in how I decided to create my own path,” she says. “If I hadn’t gotten scholarships to law school, for example, I don’t know that I would have gone, and who knows where I would be now.”

Jecklin is motivated by a desire to pay it forward to future generations so that they, too, can forge their own paths.

“It’s really important for all students to be able to take whatever path they want to take. I would hate to see a student decide not to go into a graduate program because it means more debt. I want to help level the playing field.”

Olivia Perlstein Jecklin ’17

The Jecklin Scholarship in Microbiology is the Department of Microbiology’s first individual scholarship at this level, making it especially significant, says Erika Hamilton, head of the Department of Microbiology.

“Microbiology is a small major, and sometimes we get overlooked because we are so small. This is validation for us and for our students,” she says. “Scholarships take a bit of the burden off and make things more equitable for students. The Jecklin Scholarship gives more students a chance to attain their goals.”

Hamilton, who knew Jecklin as a student, says that it is touching to see an alumna give back in such a meaningful way.

“You develop relationships with students and [after they graduate] you don’t always get to keep up with them,” she says. “It is really heartwarming to come full circle, having a student become a donor.”

Hamilton says the microbiology students were “thrilled” when they learned of the scholarship.

“They truly appreciate that someone who was a microbiology major is thinking of them.”

Inspired by the power of giving back? Make a gift to the Department of Microbiology and help support tomorrow's scientific leaders.