BHC Spotlight: Matthew Bavuso '21

Major/Minor: Biology with a minor in Chemistry
Hometown: Lancaster, VA

Why you chose BHC (beyond the scholarship benefit)
I chose the BHC for the community and the potential relationships I could form.

What benefits have you gained from the BHC
One of the biggest benefits I feel that the BHC offered was an environment for individuals to grow and develop beyond their own understanding of the world.

Highlight a specific research, internship, or study abroad experience(s).
I recently had the opportunity to do an online internship with Eastern Virginia Medical School where we studied Sars-cov-2. We attempted a translational approach, where we would look at medical treatments that already exist for other conditions and attempt to repurpose their effects for fighting COVID-19.

How did the BHC curriculum or program prepare you for this experience?
The BHC program prepared me by giving me ample opportunities to interact with people and forged my leadership skills so that I would be able to effectively lead my group.

What do/did you hope to achieve/gain from this experience?
I hoped that I would gain a better understanding of sars-cov-2 and potentially find a way to fight it off so that I could protect the people I care about.

List of things involved with on campus (sports teams, clubs, academic competitions/teams, positions held and description of duties)
I'm a member of the swim team, and one of the representatives for SAAC. SAAC is where several representatives of each team on campus come together to discuss issues that we might be able to address by directly communicating with the athletic director or other members of campus administration.

List any awards, recognitions, and/or conference presentations
Last year, I presented research I did with Dr. Johnson on port day.