Valerie Sitterle

Arriving as a full-time employed researcher, I came to the Woodruff School via a less traditional path than many of my fellow students. While not the easiest way to pursue a Ph.D., the Woodruff School afforded me the opportunity to try, and that willingness to give me the chance and let me work it out was really how I ended up at Georgia Tech. In hindsight, I didn't appreciate how hard balancing professional and academic lives would be - though the Woodruff School faculty did. I so value the guidance and advisement I was given by the faculty during my time there. I was naturally drawn to interdisciplinary research, and found the program to be very friendly to crafting these sorts of pursuits. I minored in Management, focused my research in Bioengineering, and enjoyed a fantastic, hands-on advisor as well as a tremendous committee from other departments to help me achieve my research goals. The other students were wonderful and excellent intellectually. My lab mates were a constant source of ideas, camaraderie, and support. When I began at the Woodruff School, one of the greatest strengths of the department was the incredible dedication and insight given to students by the Graduate Coordinator at the time, Dr. William Wepfer. With Dr. Wepfer now as the School's Chair, I expect the dedication to blending education and the student experience with top-tier research opportunities will continue. The balanced focus of the Woodruff School - the student and the research - as well as outstanding faculty, undoubtedly set the Woodruff School apart. Though I had already been working as a professional before I came to the Woodruff School, the program there significantly increased both the breadth and depth of my experience and education. This has allowed me to craft my chosen career path and work to align much more with my personal and professional goals blending research and working with industry. I truly treasure the people I had the opportunity to work with during my degree. They enriched the experience and my life so much.