Biography
Hails from Tennessee
BS Biology
Middle Tennessee State University, 2020
Hello! My name is Alyssa Walsh and I live in Rocky Top, Tennessee. I was born in South Africa and my parents brought me here to the United States to give me a better life as well as opportunities to succeed. I started out in Wisconsin, then Ohio for 10 years, and moved to Tennessee just before high school. In 2013 my parents got their citizenship and I received mine in 2014. I am grateful to live in the beautiful state of Tennessee and to have attended a university here with a gorgeous campus. At Middle Tennessee State University I studied biology with a concentration in microbiology, a minor in chemistry, and graduated Magna Cum Laude. My interest in infectious disease began while taking microbiology courses, however, I still wasn’t sure what my next step was going to be after my bachelor’s degree. After graduating from MTSU in May 2020, I had some downtime to contemplate what I wanted to do and where I wanted to be. I had an intense desire to have a part in this novel coronavirus pandemic. My yearning to participate in COVID from behind the scenes sparked dreams for a career in public health and biosecurity. One month after graduation, I accepted a job in a COVID-19 diagnostic laboratory. By September, I had worked hard and was promoted from BioPharma Technician to Assistant Molecular Biologist working on the RNA extractions for covid samples from across the United States. This job has been a fantastic experience and fueled my excitement to build a career in infectious disease. I am grateful to be participating in this program alongside so many talented people. I’m looking forward to all the opportunities and knowledge I will gain from Tufts.