Camille L.M. Everhart, though born in Ohio, considers Ithaca, New York, as her home. Camille, being raised now by only her supportive mother, is determined to defy the odds. Camille has endured the deaths of her two closest advocates. In 2001 and 2005, respectively, Camille suffered the deaths of her only grandmother and the only father she has ever known.
Since early childhood, Camille has relished the challenges of problem-solving. Camille’s accomplishments and volunteer activities include molecular biology awards of excellence, Science Olympiad co-captain, Team Physics vice president, science and math tutor, James L. Gibbs Memorial Community Service award, 2009 National Achievement Scholar, 98th percentile score on national standardized tests, green-belt in Korean Martial Arts with a sword, freestyle-ranking figure skating, National Honor Society, and she is well-poised to becoming the first African American valedictorian of her high school. One of Camille’s favorite activities is Team Physics, whose mission is to voluntarily travel to local elementary and middle schools, presenting interactive physics demonstrations to over 1000 students per year, in an effort to inspire children to become interested in and excited about the sciences. Camille credits Ms. Nancy Tresner for igniting her passion for molecular biology, and Mr. Doug Forrest for sparking and supporting her intense curiosity in physics. Both of their caring and gifted teaching has been immeasurable profound and inspirational in her life.
Subscribing to the philosophy of Carpe Diem, in the summer of 2007, Camille was selected as a high school intern at the Ohio State University Medical Center’s “M.D. Camp.” This groups of interns volunteered for an underserved community health project. Camille gained a deepened sensitivity to disparity in the healthcare access, quality and outcome for the underserved. During the same time, Camille also completed an auto-tutorial in an Algebra II course, receiving an “A.” Then, in the summer of 2008, Camille competed for one of ten NASA internship positions, among applicants from nine states. Selected as NASA “INSPIRE” intern, Camille’s participation in a biological fluid physics pilot study, under the tutelage of a NASA biomedical engineer, Dr. Patricia Parsons-Wingerter, afforded Camille the honor of being names as a co-author on a research paper, tentatively scheduled to be published in 2009. Camille is also currently learning Japanese, in anticipation of traveling abroad in her junior year of college.
Camille desires her life’s work to reflect humanitarianism, intellect and a pioneering spirit. Camille’s chosen social duties, through her words and actions, are to empower others through mentoring, volunteering, and advocating a passion for lifetime learning. As an African American, female child of a single-parent household, she understand that life is sometimes unfair in both how and to whom opportunities are presented; equitable treatment of all, by all, is aspirational not empirical. Therefore, she chooses her battles. Camille does not ask for a carte blanche because society categorizes her as a “minority” in the United States. She merely asks to be given a truly equal opportunity to realize her ambitions. Refusing to be the exception, Camille aspires to be the rule.
