MacKenzie Redding was drawn to Stevenson for its small class sizes and community feel. Her initial plan was to pursue a career as a physician assistant. However, MacKenzie soon realized that wasn’t her passion. Encouraged by one of her professors to explore other medical specializations, MacKenzie discovered a new interest in cardiovascular perfusion—learning how provide essential life support during open-heart surgery.
“The professors at Stevenson have been so great and so supportive,” MacKenzie said. “They’ll help you with any class you need help with, and they have connections. If you work hard and you’re passionate about what you want to do they’ll help you. You just have to reach out and talk to them.”
As a Leadership Scholar and an active member of Stevenson’s Beverly K. Fine School of the Sciences, MacKenzie experienced the rich campus and academic life Stevenson offers. During her junior and senior years, MacKenzie participated in Stevenson’s Summer Science Scholars Research Program (S3RP). S3RP allows students to work full-time for 8 weeks during the summer in one of Stevenson’s research laboratories, computer labs, or in field studies under the guidance of a faculty mentor.
“I had so many things to talk about in grad school interviews,” MacKenzie said. “I had the opportunity to present my summer research at the American Chemical Society conference last year in New Orleans. And this year, I went to the conference in San Diego to present my capstone research project.”
Now, after graduating Summa Cum Laude from Stevenson, MacKenzie is enrolled in the highly-specialized Master of Science in Cardiovascular Perfusion at the University of Northern Kentucky.
