#Mentees will always be cherished, but letting them grow also means letting them go!
Luca Cavallo has been an Exchange visitor in the Manzini Lab since December 2021. He is also my first formal mentee. Although I had supervised multiple trainees for their dissertation projects during my PhD, working with a research technician who aspires to eventually apply to grad school was a new experience. As a mentor, not only was I expected to engage him in research that is in sync with his #goals but also, I had taken it upon myself to ensure that his grad school application package is competitive.
Over the course of the last two years, Luca has mastered a bunch of molecular techniques, is now an expert in cell culture and has also differentiated iPSCs into induced neurons. This along with his project on lentivirus, zebrafish and mouse work. 1 co-author paper published, 1 about to go and multiple posters. Hard has he worked, and then some more! As Luca heads back to Italy next week to join San Raffaele Hospital, a premier research institute in Milan, it’s a bittersweet feeling to imagine not having him by my side for a better part of the day.
I have tremendously benefited from having such a diligent, kind and extremely motivated mentee. Farewells are never easy, but Manzini lab went out to a gaming arcade to give Luca a very American farewell.
My #PhD advisor, Mitali Mukerji often remarked that with each of her students, she also completes an entirely new PhD. I can only fathom her words today. Each #trainee is unique, with a unique set of skills and aspirations. As mentors, our only job is just to facilitate their journey and remove roadblocks. And nothing is as rewarding as basking in the reflected glory of their success.
#proudmentor #scientificresearch
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1moIf you're in another city in Georgia can you apply. Or is it specifically in Atl