大象传媒

The job description was for a lab assistant. The position called for someone to clean glassware and pick up trash 鈥� everything the seasoned researchers of Carolina鈥檚 needed done but didn鈥檛 have time to do.

Amiee Littlejohn, who had just graduated as valedictorian of her high school class, knew she had to start somewhere, and she was happy to start in the Cook Lab. It wasn鈥檛 exactly riveting work, but it gave the biology student access to a lab where she could observe the daily heave-and-haul of innovative research. Plus, she needed a work-study position to help pay for her first semester at Carolina.

But it quickly became more than just a job.

From humble beginnings

Littlejohn took an interest in the research of Juanita Limas, a doctoral candidate in pharmacology studying how normal cells transform into cancer cells.

鈥淚t blew my mind,鈥� said Littlejohn, a sophomore at Carolina. 鈥淥ur bodies can do so much that we don鈥檛 know about.鈥�

So, she started asking questions: How does DNA copy itself? What is pipetting? What does it mean to be a post-doc?

Limas knew right away that there was something special in Littlejohn.

鈥淪he was asking really good questions so early in her career, and that is the sign of a very promising scientist,鈥� Limas said. 鈥淚 felt like it was kind of a waste to keep her washing dishes.鈥�

A new challenge

Limas took Littlejohn under her wing, teaching her how to use the lab鈥檚 sterilizer and how to isolate and extract plasmid DNA. With every new challenge, Littlejohn stepped up to the plate.

鈥淚n the lab, she鈥檚 got what we call 鈥榬eally good hands,鈥欌�� Limas said, 鈥渁nd that鈥檚 a hard skill to have because when they first start, people are often very clumsy. She also has what we call 鈥�驳补苍补蝉鈥� in Spanish. She has the drive or the desire to become a scientist. And I can鈥檛 teach that. She comes pre-programmed with ganas.鈥�

It was Limas鈥� ganas 鈥�the sense of perseverance and drive instilled in her by her mother 鈥� that got the doctoral student to where she is today. As an underrepresented student in STEM, Limas faced challenges many of her peers never faced. With the support of faculty mentors and a refusal to take no for an answer, Limas found her way to Carolina, where she will soon earn her doctorate.

鈥淲here I come from, I鈥檓 really not supposed to be here,鈥� said Limas, who grew up in Des Moines, Iowa. 鈥淏ut I have a lot of people who have written letters of recommendation for me, who always have my back. I can鈥檛 let these people down who put their professional reputations on the line to say, 鈥榊ou need to give her a shot.鈥欌��

Now Limas wants to do the same for Littlejohn, who has also faced obstacles as an underrepresented, first-generation college student from a family of eight.

鈥淚 think mentoring an undergraduate is extremely important because it helps keep you grounded, and it really enriches you as a scientist,鈥� Limas said. 鈥淚 was always taught that whatever positive things happen to you, you always want to reach back and help the little guy coming up behind you.鈥�

Life-changing learning

This semester, Littlejohn is assisting Limas with her research, experimenting on cells to determine exactly how they replicate and become malignant. She hopes to see her name on a publication soon. And with Limas鈥檚 help, she believes she will.

鈥淛uanita is almost like a second mother to me,鈥� Littlejohn said. 鈥淪he has so much wisdom and advice that I could never find in anyone else. She鈥檚 very patient, very calm. What she taught me is to have perseverance and patience, and you鈥檒l get there.鈥�

Littlejohn, who has a family history of cancer and other diseases like diabetes, said she鈥檚 very driven and determined to tackle big questions, which Limas calls 鈥渢he understatement of the year.鈥�

鈥淚t鈥檚 really nice to just know that there are students like Aimee who are super bright, and they have huge potential,鈥� Limas said. 鈥淭he more people that we bring into the scientific enterprise that come from different viewpoints, the more we benefit. She鈥檚 given me so many different perspectives on how to approach my project, and I鈥檒l say, 鈥極h, I never thought about that.鈥� That鈥檚 a good thing to have as a scientist. That鈥檚 how you push the field forward.鈥�

And Littlejohn, who took a job in a lab for the paycheck, now sees an entirely new future ahead of her.

鈥淚 used to feel like what I do here doesn鈥檛 really matter. I鈥檓 just the person who cleans,鈥� she said. 鈥淏ut when I talk to Juanita, I learn so much, and I realized I absolutely love research. It鈥檚 a newly discovered thing that I love that I never even knew I had a passion for.鈥�