Cicely Krebill: Future Cures

Senior Cicely Krebill knew one thing when she was looking for a college: she wanted to be in Boston.

“There’s a nice feel [to Boston],” Krebill said. “It’s kind of like a big city and a small town in the same location. It seems like everyone’s pretty close, but there’s also so many people and so many college students.”

When Krebill saw the booth for Northeastern University nestled among the other schools at the college fair she took the opportunity to check it out. After her mom mentioned it to her again, she decided to add it to the list of schools on her Common App.

The acceptance letter from the school came in November, but Krebill didn’t visit Northeastern until February. It was on that visit, in the heart of Boston next to Fenway Park, when Krebill says she knew Northeastern University was where she belonged. It beat out the five other schools Krebill was considering. She was decided.

Northeastern’s work study program is another aspect of the school that drew Krebill in. At some point in her college career she hopes to get placed in a research job where she can work in a professional setting and get paid a real wage, while at the same time she won’t have to pay for tuition for six months.

“I just want to go into research and then maybe get a professor job,” Krebill said. “Mostly I just want to get into the lab.”

Next year, she plans on majoring in biochemistry. Inspired by discussions of public health over the dinner table with her parents, both of whom are involved in medical research, Krebill wants to study drug development. Specifically, she wants to focus on repurposing drugs, the process of finding other diseases already FDA approved drugs can treat.

At Northeastern, Krebill felt like she was getting the best of both worlds. She was getting to live in the action of a big city with tall buildings and busy, crowded sidewalks. At the same time, she was also getting to live on a big college campus with an open, green quad and dorms where she could be close to students her age.

“I was really excited,” Krebill said. “I hadn’t had a top school. Then at the point where I realized it was the first school I had actually fallen in love with. I was so excited hearing all the students and professors.”