(Daily Press, Virginia) Candace Barnes travelled quite a bit to make Hampton University, as the institution’s slogan goes, her “home by the sea.”The Georgetown, Guyana, native made the 2,300-mile distance work over the last four years, and will graduate Sunday morning from HU with a degree in cellular and molecular biology.
Barnes is quiet but confident as she talks about her time at Hampton, during which she maintained a 4.01 GPA.
“Achieving the grades that I did, I attribute that partially to my upbringing in the educational system in Guyana,” Barnes said. “I think that that was very important in preparing me for Hampton and being able to achieve those high grades. And I think I’m also happy that I was able to move into a new society in a completely different culture and, you know, make a name for myself.”
While keeping up those grades, she served as president of the Beta Kappa Chi National Scientific Honors Society and treasurer of the Frederick D. Inge Biology Club. She also helped as a peer mentor for participants in the Student Support Services program. Abiodun Adibi, an associate professor in the department of biological services, served as Barnes’ academic adviser during her four years at HU.
“I knew from the get-go that she is a special student,” Adibi said. “She approaches all her activities with confidence and a positive attitude. You can see that she has an insatiable appetite for learning, and as a result, she’s always in the conference room or some other areas studying, so for that reason I’ll say that her academic transcript is undoubtedly a very good reflection of her academic ability, and that’s due to her persistence and dedication to her studies.”
Adibi praised Barnes’ ability to prioritize her studies, saying that her study techniques are effective. Barnes, like most college students, admitted to bouts of procrastination, but that isn’t evident on her transcript, Adibi pointed out.
“She’s able to adapt to all the teaching techniques and get a good grade from all her classes,” Adibi said. “It’s something that’s very, very unusual to find somebody from that far away and that they would be able to do that.”
Last summer, Barnes conducted work on microbiology and genetics during an internship at Syracuse University. She will next pursue research in neuroscience through an assistantship at the University of Florida.
She plans to eventually work in medicine. One recent summer was spent volunteering in an emergency room back home. She says her research plans will better help her understand her future time in the medical field.
Barnes was one of two students honored with the President’s Cup at Honors Day this year. The award goes to students who are academically and civically outstanding, President William Harvey said.
“The thing that impresses me in life are people who are willing to try to make the world better, through their leadership, through their good citizenship, through their participation in matters in society that matter. That is what impresses me,” Harvey said. “You can always get a bookworm that might have a 4.0, but you get somebody who’s not only smart but understands the value of good citizenship.