In Search of a Cure

PKP Fellowship will help cancer cell research

Catheryn Bolick is driven to study cancer because her life, like many others, has been affected by it. The 2023 Honors graduate, chosen recently for an $8,500 Phi Kappa Phi Fellowship, is pursuing a Ph.D. in cancer cell biology at Washington University in St. Louis.

“Through graduate study and my future career, I hope to help create more successful and more accessible treatments for cancer, and I want to inspire others to love learning and to pursue their goals, no matter what obstacles may stand in their way,” Bolick said.

Raised by a single mother who suffered for years with recurring pituitary tumors, Bolick said she was terrified while growing up that it would be cancerous. She often worried about who would take care of her if her mother died.

Later in life, Bolick’s mother, Kelly, remarried. Sadly, her stepdad developed skin cancer. Then, in December 2020, the family learned he had stage three colorectal cancer. Because of this, he would endure several rounds of chemotherapy and radiation.

“This has permanently altered our lives. While I know he is grateful to be cancer-free, living with an ostomy bag has made life harder for him,” Bolick said. “By going into research, I hope that I can reduce the fear surrounding a cancer diagnosis, as well as the financial and emotional toll treatment can take on a patient and their family. I want to be part of the movement to make cancer as treatable as a bone fracture.”

A double-major in Biology and Music, with minors in Honors, French, and Chemistry, Bolick is one of 62 recipients nationwide to receive a Phi Kappa Phi Fellowship. She is the 19th MTSU student since 1999 to win a PKP Fellowship.

“It is a great honor to be recognized for my academic and extracurricular achievements, as a first-generation student and a woman of Indigenous descent,” Bolick said. “Phi Kappa Phi and the MTSU Honors College have been invaluable thus far in my academic career by making resources accessible to aid me in reaching my full potential, when I otherwise could’ve fallen under the radar.”

Her Honors Journey

Bolick graduated magna cum laude last May and earned several scholarships along the way, including the Honors College’s prestigious four-year Buchanan Fellowship. Limited to only 20 students per year, this is the highest award given to an entering freshman at MTSU. She went on to earn the Kathryn Hay Memorial Scholarship; Michael Martinelli Memorial Scholarship; Freeman P. Jordan Jr. Biology Scholarship; Robert B. Cook Memorial Scholarship; Maria de los Reyes Scholarship; Gordon and Sara Bell Honors Scholarship for Native American Studies; and the Albert and Ethel Smith Pre-Medical Student Scholarship.

Bolick was recognized as the Honors College Outstanding Second-Year Student for 2019–20, was selected to participate in the Institute of Leadership Excellence in 2021, and was chosen for a study abroad experience in Normandy, France, in 2022. In addition to Phi Kappa Phi, she was a member of Omicron Delta Kappa, where she served in several positions including as president her senior year.

I want to be part of the movement to make cancer as treatable as a bone fracture.

She thanked the Honors College staff and faculty— particularly Honors College Dean John R. Vile and Laura Clippard of the Undergraduate Fellowships Office—“for their endless support, encouragement, and wisdom. I would not be where I am today without them,” Bolick said.

“Catheryn’s award is especially extraordinary because my wife, Linda, taught her when she was in kindergarten, and I have had the pleasure of watching her progress through the Honors College,” Vile said.

Inside and Outside the Classroom

Bolick won the Peter I. Karl Outstanding Senior in Biology Award in 2021 and received several Undergraduate Research Experience and Creative Activity grants at varying levels during her time at MTSU.

Additionally, she was part of the Student Organization for Advancement of Research, participated in the Student Government Association, performed with the Symphonic Band and Wind Ensemble, and volunteered with the Contest of Champions marching band competition with the Band of Blue.

Outside of school, Bolick stayed busy working as a patient care technician for the pediatric department at Murfreesboro Medical Clinic and as a lifeguard at Nashville Shores and for MTSU Campus Recreation. She conducted private clarinet and swim lessons. Bolick also worked at the Brentwood Family Care Center and at the Dance Store in Murfreesboro. And she volunteered with the children’s church at Redeemer Presbyterian and as a vocalist for the music team at the Reformed University Fellowship campus ministry.

“I am so proud of the woman she has become,” her mom, Kelly, said. “Catheryn has worked hard to achieve all the honors she has earned over these years, and the recent Fellowship awards show that. A truly gifted young lady from the day she was born, she amazes me every day.

“Like so many families, cancer has affected us personally. Loved ones that have survived the fight, continue to battle the fight, and sadly who have lost the fight. I pray like so many that one day there will be a cure and feel blessed that she has joined the quest to find one.”

About PKP

Since its creation in 1932, the Fellowship Program has become one of Phi Kappa Phi’s most visible and financially well-supported endeavors, allocating $649,000 annually to outstanding students for firstyear graduate or professional study.

The selection process for a fellowship is based on the applicant’s evidence of graduate potential, undergraduate academic achievement, service and leadership experience, letters of recommendation, personal statement of educational perspective and career goals, and acceptance in an approved graduate or professional program.

Phi Kappa Phi Fellowships are part of the honor society’s robust portfolio of award and grant programs. To see the complete list of 2023 Phi Kappa Phi Fellows, visit PhiKappaPhi.org/2023Fellowships

Learn more about MTSU’s chapter of Phi Kappa Phi at mtsu.edu/pkp. MTSU’s Fellowships are coordinated through the Undergraduate Fellowships Office (UFO) in the Honors College. Students interested in applying for this or other national and international awards should contact UFO Coordinator Laura Clippard at 615-898-5464 or laura.clippard@mtsu.edu.