A light fueled by admiration and love appears in biology major Caroline Thomas’ eyes as she talks about her younger brother who has Down syndrome and autism.
“I have a voice for Eric, because he isn’t able to speak for himself,” says Thomas, a senior at George Mason University.
Eric is her motivation, she says, and the reason for all her accomplishments, including her being named Senior of the Year.
Thomas does clinical research at Children’s National Medical Center in Washington, D.C., and was accepted into the Early Selection Program at the George Washington University School of Medicine, where she’ll pursue her medical degree in the fall.
She’s thinking of become a pediatrician so she can work with children like Eric.
Her journey in research and medicine began more than four years ago when she was a freshman at Mason. That’s when she met neuroscientist Daniel Cox, then principle investigator of the Cox Laboratory at Mason’s Krasnow Institute for Advanced Study.
“He gave me a chance to do research,” she said. Under Cox’s mentorship, she received two OSCAR grants for her research and was selected as an OSCAR Fellow.
Thomas also counts her mentor Donna Fox, associate dean of Student Affairs in the College of Science, as being instrumental in her achievements, including receiving a national scholarship through Alpha Lambda Delta Honor Society. Thomas is also a Provost Academic Achievement Award recipient.