By Duy Vu
When Brooke Spitzenberger walks across the stage to receive her degree from Texas A&M University-Victoria this December, the moment will represent far more than the culmination of a bachelor’s degree.
Spitzenberger, of Nursey, was named the Outstanding Undergraduate Student for the College of Natural & Applied Science. She will receive a Bachelor of Science in Biology on Friday, Nov. 19. The Outstanding Graduate Student is Mohini Gohel, and she will receive a Master of Science in Data Science.
Each semester, faculty from A&M-Victoria’s four colleges select outstanding students to be honored during commencement.
“I am immensely proud of Mohini and Brooke for their exceptional intellect and work ethic,” said Dmitri Sobolev, interim dean of the College of Natural & Applied Science. “They have distinguished themselves in the classroom and embody the very best of our mission and values. I wish them the best in their endeavors and can’t wait to see what they will go on and accomplish.”
Brooke Spitzenberger
As she prepares to take the next steps toward medical school and a career in radiology, she has a message for other students who might be doubting themselves while in school.
“College isn’t easy, but for anyone who may be struggling, don’t give up,” she said. “Whatever hopes, dreams, passions you have in your heart, I feel like they were placed there for a reason, so don’t ever give up. People are more capable than they think they are, they’re a lot smarter than they think they are, and you’ve got to be your own biggest supporter.”
For Gohel, the honor of being named the Outstanding Graduate Student marks the culmination of a long academic and personal journey that began with a Bachelor of Medical Science degree she received in India in July of 2013.
Mohini Gohel
“When I worked in medical science, I began getting curious about how the system works,” Gohel said. “How the data works while we are taking the patient and giving the insight.”
Her time as a graduate student at A&M-Victoria blended in-person and online class, which allowed her to balance her academic work with other responsibilities, she said. After graduation, her long-term ambition is to bring the power of artificial intelligence and data science to the world of healthcare, she said.
My goal is to work in this AI and data science field,” Gohel said. “Especially in areas where technology can really improve health, research and safety.”
As she prepares to graduate, Gohel said she is exploring opportunities in healthcare-related roles, with an eye toward positions where she can combine her clinical understanding with advanced technical skills. Looking back over the course of her academic journey, Gohel said it was first difficult to reinvent herself academically. Learning an entirely new discipline, especially one as mathematically and computationally demanding as data science, was a hill to climb, she said. But, thankfully, she didn’t have to climb that hill alone.