Hounds with Purpose is a space for alumni to share their stories of purpose and vocational engagement beyond their years at Assumption. This blog is created by the Center for Purpose and Vocation and the Career Development and Internship Center (CDIC) to better connect students and alumni through experiential storytelling.
Relax and Enjoy the Journey
Elizabeth DiLoreto graduated from Assumption in 2017. She recently earned a PhD in Biology and Biotechnology at Worcester Polytechnic Institute. At Assumption, Elizabeth majored in Biology with a concentration in Neuroscience and Behavior and minored in Psychology. As an undergraduate student, Elizabeth was an active member, mental wellness advocate, and later president of Peers Advocating Wellness for Students (PAWS). She also played in a Battleship game (pool version) at the Plourde Recreation Center. Elizabeth found her path in Neuroscience fairly early, graduating from college in only three years. Since Assumption, she continued her studies in Biology and Biotechnology at WPI, working in a lab to better understand how the brain works. In addition to completing her doctoral studies in the natural sciences, Elizabeth is highly involved in outreach initiatives to motivate the next generation of scientists. She is hoping to develop this passion in her future career as a college professor. She has made headway on this mission, returning to Assumption in the spring of 2024 as an Adjunct Professor for the Cognitive Neuroscience capstone course.
Anna Murphy ’25 is currently serving as a fellow with the Center for Purpose and Vocation. She is a Theology major with minors in Human Services, English, and Philosophy. Anna also works as a tutor in Assumption’s Academic Support Center and is involved in a number of Campus Ministry programs as well.
Anna: Now that you’ve recently completed your graduate studies, what matters most to you in this stage of your life?
Elizabeth: Well, first let me tell you about how I got here. When I was a student at Assumption,I studied Biology with a concentration in Neuroscience and Behavior. Now I have just completed my PhD at WPI in Biology and Biotechnology, but the main topic of my doctoral dissertation is on Neurobiology. What I’m really looking forward to doing next is what I can do with that. When you’re graduating from college, you’re thinking a lot about what you’re actually going to do. Because, so far–being in school–it feels very regimented. You know what you’re expected to do. You know how to plan for that. But then, once you graduate, a whole new world of opportunities can open up for you. Leaving school a second time, I’m coming up to another set of inflection-point decisions and thinking about what it is I want to do. At this point, there have been a couple of key threads of things and skills that I want to put into action. One of them is teaching. That’s a big part of it. I realized that teaching other people about science and sparking their joy is something that’s really motivating to me. Another part is science advocacy. I think that’s really important, especially when there’s a lot of misinformation about what it means to do research and what kind of research is being done. We need people who are willing to speak about what needs to be done and to advocate for that. And then I would say, lastly, is just outreach. Because I see a connection between teaching, advocacy, and outreach, I feel called to do outreach among young people who maybe aren’t yet on a scientific path but who are curious about it, and all they need is the spark to ignite their interest. And so, I’m doing a lot of community outreach in Worcester, and I’d like to continue connecting this with teaching and advocacy.
Anna: Going back to your college days, what was your favorite part of being a student at Assumption?
Elizabeth: I really liked this small community feel at Assumption. That was something I noticed even from the Accepted Students’ Day. Compared to some of the other bigger schools I had visited around Boston and out in Western Massachusetts, which were so big and where I felt I would be lost as a student, Assumption felt like the right place for me. From day one, I noticed how people would hold the doors open for me and others, were nice, would say “hi,” and looked at me as a person. I think this is something that’s really at the soul of the people who are brought to Assumption, and what attracts people to it. Another thing that I enjoyed about Assumption was how cross-disciplinary it was. The people I made friends with weren’t in my major, but it was because people were just involved in a bunch of different things. People were involved in different clubs outside of their majors or other academic interests, and they really were drawn to doing different things. I felt at home with people like these who really wanted to be involved in the community. In my time at Assumption, I got to meet a community of diverse people. Another special thing about Assumption is that even when you leave, there are people everywhere who have ties back to Assumption. For being such a small school, it’s shocking the number of people I’ve met who have a connection to Assumption, whether they went there, or they have a sibling who went there. For example, how I got the position I’m in now is through an alumnus of Assumption. This alumnus graduated from Assumption and then went to work in my lab at WPI. Later, they reached out to professors at Assumption, saying that they had an open position for a research associate. My Assumption professors forwarded the job announcement to me because they knew about my particular interest. You see, at Assumption, the faculty know you and they can help you out. I would say the sense of community while you’re there and the sense of community when you leave is still really strong.
Anna: Can you share more about your educational journey?
Elizabeth: Before college, I went to high school at Wachusett Regional High School, which is just down the road from Assumption. There, I participated in science fairs and found a strong interest in science. I took AP Psychology, and that’s where I first heard about the connection to neuroscience. So, when I started at Assumption, I knew I wanted to major in Biology with a concentration in Neuroscience and Behavior. Soon after, I declared a minor in Psychology. When I realized that I could graduate early, I started thinking that I should go to graduate school; it was the thing to do. And so, I applied to a few graduate schools and got a few graduate school interviews. But by the time I was graduating, I didn’t get any offers to go to graduate school. At the time, that was devastating. Because I was someone whose identity was so tied to school and academic performance that not getting into school felt like a big knock on my confidence. It felt like I had failed. But now I have gained a different perspective, one that shows me that sometimes things do not go as you predict they will happen, but as the way they’re supposed to happen. So, what I ended up doing was working as an EMT (Emergency Medical Technician) in Worcester. This was partially because I was inspired by some of the people I had met in PAWS (Peers Advocating for Wellness) when I was at Assumption. They were also EMTs, and I thought that was an interesting thing to do. And then, as I said, one of the Assumption alumni who worked in the lab that I’m currently in reached out to Prof. Michele Lemons with a job posting. So, since 2017, I’ve worked in the lab of Dr. Jagan Srinivasan at WPI. After working as an EMT, I worked at the WPI lab for three years. These years of experience really paid off for me. When I decided to give graduate school a second chance, I was a lot more confident when I was applying. So, I applied, got in at WPI, and started as a grad student in the fall of 2020. This is the part where, even though it’s not how I would plan it, it ended up working out really well because I was starting to work as a graduate student in the same lab I’d been an employee in for several years. So, now I am about to leave behind my journey down Salisbury Street. This journey has taken me from Wachusett to Assumption to WPI, which is truly right down Salisbury Street. I once looked at the map, and it said it was a 15-minute car ride. For me, it was an 11-year journey, but we did it. That’s how I would describe my academic path.
But now I have gained a different perspective, one that shows me that sometimes things do not go as you predict they will happen, but as the way they’re supposed to happen.
Anna: How has your Assumption education helped shape different aspects of your life? In particular, how do you view your life calling?
Elizabeth: I think that the biggest thing about having gone to Assumption is the liberal arts education. You have to take different classes outside of your major. Thinking I was interested in Neuroscience meant I had to take a lot of Biology classes. But I also took Psychology classes. And I think that being able to think about the same problem from two or more different perspectives was really helpful. Now, a lot of the people I’ve talked to are only on the biology side, looking at something, and they really don’t have any Psychology background at all. So, I think that I offer an interesting perspective there. My Philosophy classes have also been very helpful. Some of the questions philosophers ask are the same kind of questions we’re still asking in neuroscience today. Being able to bring in all these different ways of thinking about a particular problem is important and helpful. I think that there is a lot of value in a liberal arts education. I think that also because I majored in Biology and Neuroscience and minored in Psychology that I’ve been able to teach different types of classes, even as a graduate student. I think that what’s been helpful is just being open to many perspectives and trying to think about a problem holistically.
Receiving the Crown and Shield Award at Assumption in 2017.
Anna: Can you share a time that you changed your life path based on unexpected success or failure?
Elizabeth: I think I might have already hinted at this, but I would say it was something I would have branded as a failure at the time. This was coming into my senior year of college. I was set on going to graduate school, and I was told by professors I worked with that I would be really good in grad school. And I was feeling very enthusiastic. It was a crazy time, but I was working so hard because I thought, “It’s going to pay off, I’m going to go to grad school.” I was nearly at the end of my final year of college, and I thought I had a plan. I thought I had found my path. And then it just didn’t happen for me.
Everyone around me who was planning to find a job right after school had applied and received job offers! That’s when I felt like I was scrambling come the end of my last year in college. Which is not a good feeling, but I think it’s kind of inevitable when you’re approaching a big transition. Even if you feel like you have it figured out, it’s going to feel totally different by the time you’re on the other side. That first summer after school was a very challenging time for me. But, as I said, I landed in two positions. It was actually two part-time jobs, working as an EMT and working in the lab, which then became two full-time jobs. So, I think just working a lot helped me decide my path. By the end of my first year after college, I felt pretty set on my path again.
Anna: What have you learned from this and other changes in your life? What advice would you give to a college student who’s interested in exploring their life meaning?
Elizabeth: I think it’s really important to take the time to explore one’s life. It’s not going to be something you think about once, and you’ll figure it out. Seeking meaning for your life is a perpetual journey. You’ll think about your mission. You’ll think about your vocation and what you’re good at. But I think it’s something that you really should consider thinking about all the time. Start small. Sign up for the Day of Science event. Go talk to someone at your church if you’re interested in theology. Ask people: “What do you do? How did you get there?” Something that I’ve started doing now to figure out my next career steps is calling informational interviews. You just set up a meeting with someone who’s maybe in a job that you’re interested in, and ask them about what it’s like to do their job. It’s helpful if they have a thread of something in common. For example, having gone to Assumption is very good because there are a lot of people who have also graduated from Assumption. And so, if you see someone on LinkedIn or in the world you know who studied at Assumption, reach out and say, “Hello. I’m a current Assumption student and would like to talk to you about your journey.” People are really interested in talking about themselves and how they got there. So, a lot of people I’ve asked have been open to talking about what their path has been, what the things they had to do to get there, and what advice they have. I think that’s helpful to hear when thinking about what else you want to do. This can help you set the stones in your path forward because you have tangible things you can do. You can aspire for where you want to be, and talking to other people can help you learn, develop the skills, and gain the experiences that will help you to further your life and career.
Anna: What has been your favorite job or responsibility, and why?
Elizabeth: My favorite thing that I’ve been able to do is be a science camp instructor. At WPI, every year the Pre-Collegiate Outreach Office runs a camp for high school students who are interested in Biology. For the past seven years, I’ve run either a one or two-week camp in Biology and Biotechnology. This past year, we introduced Neuroscience. I work with another graduate student in my lab, and we get to plan the types of experiments we want to do, what activities we want to talk about with our young students, and what we want to teach them. It’s really exciting because we’re working with students who willingly sign up for a science summer camp, so they’re very enthusiastic. This is a really fun time to fully geek out with people, get to tell them all the cool things you know about, and what you do. And it’s a similar camp to what I did when I was in high school. Back when I was in high school, science camp was a very formative experience for discerning my passion for science. Now, it has really been nice to give that opportunity to other students and, hopefully, help ignite and reinforce their own passion for science. This camp experience is a really good way to just get out of your own head as a high school student and realize there are other people in the world who like what you like.
Anna: You seem to really light up when you talk about teaching. Is that something you’d be interested in doing in the future? What do you hope to do with your degree?
Elizabeth: That’s a really good question. And I would say, yes, I’m interested in teaching. Funny enough, I just had an interview yesterday to teach at a school in the area as a professor for a year. So, it’s something I’m very interested in, and it’s something I’ve been talking about a lot in my own world. So, it’s something I’m very passionate about. It’s not a career I would have thought of, especially as an undergrad. I didn’t think that was the piece that I wanted to bring forward. But on my current path, at least for the near future, that’s something I really want to explore. To me, it’s very rewarding to communicate science in a way that makes sense to people and especially towards college students. I’d teach college students who are on their own journeys into careers they’re hoping to get into. I think that being able to support them and not only give them the knowledge that they need to complete their majors, but also really try to take time to have them reflect on what parts of their future career are really motivating them.
Anna: As a final question, let me ask if you could go back and give your younger self advice, what would it be?
Elizabeth: I would say to just chill out. Especially when I started college, I was very concerned with having to be thought of as a “smart, successful person.” If you’re only told you’re smart, you start to feel like “I have to be smart, I have to be good at what I’m doing, because if I’m not, and that’s who I am, then I am nothing.” But that is not true. And I think I’m realizing people give you praise like that because they’re encouraging you. It’s not because they think this is the only thing you can do. They’re trying to encourage you, and you can take that piece of encouragement and work it into your whole tapestry of who you are, but the things you’re good at are not the only things that make you who you are. I think people should be more open to trying new things, even if they think they wouldn’t be good at them. Try not to be so worried about having to be good at something. That’s something that I would tell my younger self. It’s something I’ve improved upon. I’m not perfect at it, but I’m just trying because everyone out here is just trying to find things that bring them joy. This is their first time being alive and supporting other people, so they don’t always know the right things to say. But I think just as long as everyone’s trying to support each other, you can relax and enjoy that.
[T]he things you’re good at are not the only things that make you who you are.
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Assumption’s Neuroscience Major
