Diane Documet, a chemistry student in The Honors College at Kendall Campus, has been selected as a Barry Goldwater Scholarship recipient.
She is one in four 2022 Goldwater Scholars selected from community colleges for the $7,500 scholarship.
To qualify, applicants had to be full-time sophomores or juniors pursuing a degree in natural science, mathematics or engineering. Applicants needed a minimum GPA of 3.9 and had to conduct research.
“I have always doubted my academic abilities, so much so that I doubted if I was smart enough to pursue a career heavy in academics,” the 19-year-old said. “[So] when I found out I had been selected I was in utter shock and disbelief. I am incredibly grateful to have been a recipient of this honor. I have not only proved it to the Barry Goldwater Foundation that I am able to become a researcher, but also to myself.”
Documet and her research group at St. Thomas University measured antioxidant properties in medicinal plants and tested them against triple-negative breast cancer cells. They discovered it significantly slowed down the reproduction of cancerous cells.
She is also an intern at Galatea Bio Inc. in Hialeah, the president of the Phi Theta Kappa Omicron Tau Chapter at Kendall Campus, a chemistry tutor and the Model United Nations chief of staff at her campus.
Document, who has a 4.0 GPA, is scheduled to graduate at the end of the spring semester. She aspires for a career in chemistry with a focus on pharmacogenomics or biochemistry.
