From Scared to Scholar: Black is Newest Goldwater Recipient

It was the beginning of the biochemistry major’s sophomore year when she started in Chemistry Professor Thomas Montgomery’s organic chemistry lab in the School of Science and Engineering.

“It turned out to be a great experience. I worked with a graduate student who helped me every step of the way to learn the basics of lab work,” she said. “At any other school, a second-year student would have never received that kind of opportunity.”

It’s an education that has led to Black receiving a prestigious 2026 Goldwater Scholarship, which recognizes students for exceptional academic achievements and commitment to research in the fields of science, technology, engineering and mathematics. She is the sixth Duquesne student to receive a Goldwater in the last 4 years. 15 Duquesne students have received it in the last 14 years.

The school’s faculty and lab facilities, which includes new civil and mechanical engineering labs, are both excellent, Black noted.

“Being part of a smaller program allowed me to have more one-on-one time with my professors and peers,” she said. “Those personal interactions really allowed me to grow as a researcher and put me in a great position to receive the Goldwater Scholarship.”

Such horizon-expanding opportunities are a key component of her academic career.

“At Duquesne, I’m able to operate the Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR) machine, which helps to determine the molecular structure of samples,” she said. “At most schools, you give the samples to a graduate student to run the NMR. Here, I can run the machine myself.”

Another highlight of her Duquesne experience was the summer Undergraduate Research Program, where students can spend 10 weeks working on various projects.

“It was great to just focus on research all day during the summer,” she said. “Being in the lab from 9 to 5 every day gave me the opportunity to become more independent in my research.”

Black’s interest in applying for Goldwater piqued last year, when three Duquesne students received the highly competitive scholarship. With encouragement from Montgomery and help from Student Fellowships Director Kevin Henderson, she worked on the application for several months, writing, re-writing and editing her essays.

“At the end of the process, I was really proud of my application,” she said. “Whether I received the scholarship or not, the application really put into perspective all I had accomplished.”

When she received the acceptance email, Black said she had to read it a few times to believe it. 

“I still can’t believe it now,” she said, noting that her professors and fellow students congratulated her on the scholarship. “I can’t believe I get to call myself a Goldwater Scholar.”

Noting that she originally began on the pre-med track, Black now plans to pursue advanced degrees in chemistry and eventually hopes to become a professor with her own lab and research projects.

“I want to do chemistry forever and I believe the Goldwater Scholarship will give me more opportunities as I pursue my education,” she said. “I’m so thankful to everyone – my professors, fellow undergraduate and graduate students, academic advisors, my friends and family, the Office of Student Fellowships and all who aided in my application, the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry and especially my research mentor, Dr. Montgomery – I would not be where I am today without the selflessness of everyone around me, and the opportunities given to me at Duquesne.”