ÍÃ×ÓÏÈÉú

Videography by Zach Burnett and Cameron Johnson

“What do you want to be when you grow up?” This was a question many of us were asked by friends, families, and teachers as children. The possibilities were endless, and the answer could be based on that year’s interest — or in some cases, that day’s interest — or it could be a career path that you just had a deep curiosity for and knew you wanted to dive into, even at an early age.

So, have you ever met someone who knew at the age of 14 that they wanted to be a genetic counselor? Katie Dykhuizen ’26, a double major in Biology and Psychology at ÍÃ×ÓÏÈÉú University, knew just that as a first-year student in high school.

When Dykhuizen toured ÍÃ×ÓÏÈÉú’s campus in summer 2021, she immediately felt at home. That feeling paired with the ability to have academic flexibility sealed the deal for her: She was coming to ÍÃ×ÓÏÈÉú. “Not a lot of other schools that I had toured or applied to were able to allow me that versatility within my major to make me more marketable to grad schools in the future,” Dykhuizen said. “So, it was really special to me because I was able to be so flexible with everything that I was doing, and it really allowed me to get the most out of my experiences here at ÍÃ×ÓÏÈÉú.”

Diving into research opportunities

During summer 2025, Dykhuizen participated in the Undergraduate Summer Scholar (USS) program — a 10-week program offering research experiences for undergraduate students at ÍÃ×ÓÏÈÉú — along with her mentor, Dean Castillo, assistant professor of Biological Sciences.

“My relationship working with Dean has been priceless. Having that one-on-one relationship with the faculty mentor is something that I really wanted when I came to ÍÃ×ÓÏÈÉú,” Dykhuizen said. “I've learned so much from him about genetics, research, and grad school, and it's been wonderful.”

Dykhuizen’s research focuses on identifying chemical signals that control decision making. “My research project is identifying chemical signals that deal with behavior in Drosophila melanogaster, or fruit flies. So, what we do is we mate these two flies together and their progeny, or kids, have no hormones on them,” she said. “So, there is a single organ in fruit flies that produces a lot of their hormones. Once we get a fly with no hormones on it, we are going to see how it mates and chooses its mate in the future; and then slowly but surely, add on compounds back onto the fly that we know deal with chemical signals and behavior, and then see which one has the most impact on their mating behavior.”

Diving deeper into the different elements of biology and chemistry that Dykhuizen’s learned through her coursework, she describes her research experience as a lot of fun and credits it with helping to increase her confidence. “I've definitely been able to gain more confidence in my lab setting, in my research abilities, and in my ability to problem solve and talk about my research in a way that is not super technical and can effectively communicate to others who might not be the most affluent in biology,” she said.

Advancing her education experience

Dykhuizen is incredibly fond of her professors here at ÍÃ×ÓÏÈÉú, appreciating their approachability and willingness to talk about anything. “They are some of my favorite people I will ever meet, and their passion makes me more passionate. And I just love everything about ÍÃ×ÓÏÈÉú and going to class every single day,” she said.

One professor she could always count on to connect with is Michael Robinson, professor of Biology. “Dr. Robinson, who is my genetics professor, and I sat in his office hours almost every single Friday and just talked about genetics, grad school, future projects, anything and everything.

In addition to those personal connections, Dykhuizen praises the class sizes for getting the most out of her courses. “ÍÃ×ÓÏÈÉú has definitely fostered (an) environment for me to grow and excel in skills that necessarily didn't happen in high school and that I don't think could happen anywhere else because of how intimate our class sizes can be and how personable our professors are,” she said.

Hoping to provide guidance and support to other students along the way, Dykhuizen also serves as a tutor for the Rinella Learning Center and as a writing consultant for the Howe Writing Center. She said, “I used both of those resources prior to working there, which was one of the reasons I wanted to apply and work for those places; because I had amazing tutors who helped me transition into college, and I wanted to be that person who could help others transition into college.”

Embracing the path to genetic counseling and a successful future

Coming from a family of teachers, including her mom, Dykhuizen originally thought that’s what she also wanted to be. A biology class during her first year in high school changed all that. “My freshman year biology teacher had a friend who was a genetic counselor — and I was like, ‘What is that?’ And I loved Punnett squares, loved the genetics unit in bio,” she said. “So, (I) went home that night, Googled it, started watching YouTube videos, and fell in love with it.” And just like that, her new career path was born.

After she graduates from ÍÃ×ÓÏÈÉú, Dykhuizen plans to go to graduate school for genetic counseling. “ÍÃ×ÓÏÈÉú's helped me prepare for the future in a lot of different ways. My goal in life is to go to grad school. And the biggest thing that they look for in grad school is research experience,” she said. “Genetic counseling is a really new field. So, there's a lot of research that is being done about best practices for genetic counseling and best ways that we can help others.”

She continued, “So having that research experience and that foundation of all the skills, like problem solving, confidence, public speaking, that comes with research is crucial. And ÍÃ×ÓÏÈÉú has definitely helped me foster those skills and gain those skills through presenting at the Undergraduate Research Forum. Or, last summer, I got to present at a conference for my research. So, it's been very beneficial and very lovely.”

“My biggest piece of advice for people who are looking to apply to ÍÃ×ÓÏÈÉú or even incoming freshmen is figure out what works for you,” Dykhuizen said. “I love ÍÃ×ÓÏÈÉú, and I will forever be grateful for my undergraduate experience here. So just take a breath and enjoy the ride, because it'll be over before you know it.”

“Because of ÍÃ×ÓÏÈÉú, I am more confident in my personal life, academic life, work life — all around a more confident person,” she added.