Alumni Testimonials

Michael Bradaric
Michael Bradaric

Graduation: May 2004

Degree(s): 2011 Ph.D. from Rush University Medical Center.

I graduated from Lewis University in 2004 with a B.S. in Biology and a minor in Chemistry. Lewis University was a great place to get a college education. I had access to professors for that one-on one interaction that is so important in trying to understand complicated biological concepts.  I had worked part-time as a pharmacy technician during college and thought drugs and their mechanisms were interesting. After much deliberation, I picked graduate school over pharmacy school and enrolled in a doctoral program at Rush University Medical Center in downtown Chicago in the Department of Pharmacology and graduated in 2011 with a PhD. Like Lewis, Rush is a relatively smaller campus and the interaction there was great as well; in terms of faculty, coursework, and fellow classmates.

I always thought cancer, although an insidious disease; was interesting from an academic perspective, but vengeful on a personal level. I knew I wanted to research and develop new drugs that could treat cancer so I picked a laboratory that studied ovarian cancer. Aside from researching clinical samples from women undergoing hysterectomies at Rush, I also worked in a new model of ovarian cancer: the chicken! Unlike many animal models, chickens develop ovarian cancer naturally so there was no genetic manipulation needed. My dissertation focused on elaborating the immunology associated with chicken ovarian tumors so that we may draw parallels to human ovarian tumors. We found a receptor that regulates immune cell movement through the various compartments was also found not only in the chicken ovary, but also in the human ovary. And because we are interested in drug targets, we treated some chickens with immune-suppressants to inhibit immune cell movement in the peripheral compartment. The experience was interesting in that I was exposed to several disciplines in researching this model and we collaborated closely with the Department of Animal Science at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.  I am now continuing my post-doctoral training in the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, section of Oncology at the University of Chicago studying ovarian cancer as well. 

Cassidy Domagalla
Cassidy Domagalla

Graduation: May, 2008

Degree(s): B.S. Biology; double minor – Chemistry/Biochemistry

As my first year of pharmacy school comes to a close, I can’t help but attribute most of my success to my experiences at Lewis University.  I began at Lewis, enrolled in the dual-admission pharmacy program with Midwestern University and soon found out that I wanted to complete my degree in Biology; I withdrew from the dual-acceptance.  I found that to be one of the best choices I made in my academic career, aside from choosing Lewis University. Lewis provided me with so many more opportunities to prepare myself for my career path, something I couldn’t truly realize until I began my graduate studies.  It allowed me to become a well-rounded individual, being involved with the Track & Field team, various organizations, along with maintaining great social and educational experiences.  Though the road may not have always been easy, it was well worth the ride.

I embarked on my journey in the Fall of 2008 at one of Nashville’s new pharmacy schools, Belmont University.  Surprisingly, both Lewis and Belmont are similar in so many ways, despite their 500 mile distance.  I was instantly comfortable here and, to be quite honest, I was anxious to start my classes at what would be my new home.  I felt that Lewis had fully prepared me for any road or obstacle that lie ahead.  Even my time management skills seemed to be up to par!  Regrettably, a number of my classmates were not as fortunate as they struggled through the balance, which during this time, I was very thankful for my previous education.  Through this past year, it’s remarkable to think how many times I have recalled on topics learned from the professors at Lewis and, this goes for core and general education classes.  I really can’t thank them enough for all of their help in guiding and shaping me into the person I have become.

To date, I am enrolled in my experiential rotations at one of the surrounding hospitals and I absolutely love it.  It has actually made me consider partaking in a residency and tackling more of a clinical side of pharmacy.  My education thus far has only made the bond between pharmacy and myself that much stronger; I am so happy that I chose the path that I did!  I reflect quite often about my journey on how I got to where I am today and, I importantly never forget the reason I am here.  I can’t wait to continue through these next three years!

Stephanie Haddad
Stephanie Haddad

Graduation: December, 2005
Degree(s): Double major - B.A. Biology and B.S. Nuclear Medical Technology; minor - Chemistry

For me Lewis was a wonderful experience. I enrolled as a Biology Major in the Pre-Health Professions Program and soon found there were many career options for me. The workload was reasonable and included two to three core classes, labs, and general education classes each semester. I attended summer sessions in order to ensure that I would complete all of my requirements on time. As a junior at Lewis, I applied for the Nuclear Medicine Program offered through an affiliation with Northwestern Memorial Hospital. I became the first student to be enrolled in the joint program. I finished my pre-requisites on campus and proceeded to Northwestern for a year. I completed a Bachelor's of Science in Nuclear Medicine and became a certified Technologist at the end of my training. I then chose to come back to Lewis for an extra semester and also received a Bachelor of Arts in Biology with a Minor in Chemistry.

Since graduation, I have been specializing in cancer care and tumor imaging using the education I received at Lewis University as a Nuclear Medicine Technologist in many of Chicago's hospitals. After three years in the field, I decided to further my education and am currently enrolled as a student at Rosalind Franklin University of Medicine and Science in the Medical Radiation Physics Program where I plan to specialize in Oncological Applications of Radiation Physics. I would not be where I am today without the education I received at Lewis University. The class sizes were ideal and allowed for a personal relationship with my professors and peers. My classmates and I became a small family as we proceeded through the curriculum together. The faculty was personable and focused on the improvement of each student. I have always felt more than educationally prepared with each new challenge I face. I have used both of my degrees from Lewis to the best of my ability and will never forget the great time I had there. Many of my good friends today are people that I met as a student while attending Lewis. Looking back years later, I can honestly say that Lewis University was one of the best choices I have ever made.


Ted Hughes

Graduation: December, 2000

Degree(s): B.S. Biology; minor - Chemistry

I came to Lewis University on baseball scholarship and really did not focus on the academic side of college much before I started, although I did know my interests were in science. With that in mind, I chose biology as major with emphasis towards a career in the health field. Thankfully I was nurtured, befriended, mentored, and taught by numerous inspired faculty. My advisor personally helped me attain my goals of having a career in the health field by organization, motivation, and personally helping me attain a research position at Loyola Medical Center. These types of efforts by the faculty of the biology department had significant influences on my life and has definitely led to my continued success in the field of health care. I am humbled and blessed to have had the benefits of these extraordinary efforts by the Lewis University Biology faculty and staff.

I graduated Lewis University in December 2000 with a B.S in Biology, I then went on to receive a degree in Doctor of Medical Dentistry at Southern Illinois School of Dental Medicine in May, 2005. I am currently a PGY III at Nassau Medical Center in New York for Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery. It is a very demanding four year residency that entails full scope Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, which includes dentoalveolar surgery, anesthesia, trauma, orthognathic surgery, head and neck oncology, reconstruction and facial cosmetics, general surgery and medicine. In spite of the grueling work and long days, I am having the time of my life. The experience has been great on many levels. Personally, I have had to opportunity to experience New York City and Northeast Region which has been interesting for a born and raised Midwesterner. Professionally, I am in an extremely populated and diverse area that makes for interesting cases and rich clinical experience! I love what I do, and I do what I love!! I feel truly blessed!

In closing, Lewis University was my foundation for my professional career! I have many fond memories of my experiences at Lewis University!! I had the opportunity to be taught, motivated, and mentored by selfless individuals at Lewis University that had my best interest at heart. I can only hope that I can give back to others as they have given to me!! Integrity, accountability, effort, motivation, ethics, honesty, loyalty, affability are all things I learned at Lewis University that were and still are critical to my success, and strange enough they are not to be found in the curriculum requirements for a degree of B.S. of Biology! I would like to thank the individual faculty members of the department of Biology at Lewis University, and to let them know they have had a tremendous positive impact on my life!!

Brian J. Jerszynski
Brian J. Jerszynski

Graduations: May, 2003 (Biology); December, 2007 (MBA)

Degree(s):

Double major - B.S. Biology, B.A. Chemistry; minor - Biochemistry

MBA - International Business & Project Management

After completing my undergraduate degrees at Lewis with a double major (B.S. Biology; B.A. Chemistry, minor – Biochemistry), I started my professional career in October 2003 with Managed Health Care Associates, Inc (MHA) as the Regional Account Representative (RAR) for the Central Region. MHA is the country's leading Alternate Site Group Purchasing Organization (GPO) in multiple classes of trade, most notably Long Term Care (LTC), Home Infusion, and Combo Pharmacies. As the RAR for the LTC division's Central Region, my primary responsibility was maintaining my customer base of LTC pharmacies by providing an in-depth analysis on their pharmaceutical purchases. By analyzing my customer’s purchases I was able to significantly decrease the customer’s monthly drug spending while increasing the pharmacy's overall profitability. Coming from a strictly science education at Lewis I was prepared to handle this type of analysis for my customers as well as speak more confidently with the pharmacists about the drugs in question.

After only one year, I was promoted the National Account Manager (NAM) of the Central Region. A feat that had not been accomplished before at MHA as the typical time-frame to reach a NAM title was three years. As the NAM of the Central Region, my responsibilities increased dramatically. Not only was I responsible for the account maintenance of all the customers in the region, but I was also required to identify new customers, cold call, setup appointments, provide extensive presentations of MHA's services to the new customers, and eventually sign up the new customer to MHA's contracts. On top of that, I was also managing a newly hired RAR as well as my internal counterpart in order to make sure that every one of our customers was receiving the same high level of service that MHA is known for in the industry. I have been in the role of NAM for 3 years now and I have loved every minute of it. My territory has changed slightly over the years, but for the most part I have been traveling to the 9 states (ND, SD, MN, WI, IA, MO, IL, IN, & MI) that make up the Central Region.

Over the last two years on top of traveling throughout the Midwest for MHA, I have been attending Lewis University's MBA program at night and online. I knew after completing my undergraduate education that I would eventually want to go back to school and earn a graduate degree. As much as I love Biology and Chemistry, I found that I had a natural talent that has allowed me to be extremely successful in the business world. Once I figured this out, 2 years into my career, I enrolled in the MBA program and never looked back. The MBA program allowed me to gain a better understanding of the business world that I was just starting to see as a young professional. With being able to directly apply my work experiences to the MBA curriculum, I learned more about the intricacies of business than I ever thought possible. I know that there are still many things that I do not know but look forward to continuing my development after graduation.

Michael Pulla


Michael Pulla

Graduation: December, 2010

Degree(s):B.S. Biology

I graduated from Lewis University in 2010 with a B. S. in Biology, and my experiences with the course work as well as the faculty and staff of the biology department more then prepared me for my post graduate education. At Lewis, I always felt a sense of accomplishment, which in turn drove me to work even harder. Starting out as a first year student new to the biological sciences and graduating after my fourth year as someone who had become well versed in the material, felt nothing short of a transformation. Each year I built upon the foundation of my first year adding more crucial information as I went along. Though times were surely difficult, the end goal was always worth it.

I am currently in the middle of my second year studying podiatric medicine at Scholl College at Rosalind Franklin University. I can attest to using every bit of my undergraduate education at Lewis University to help me in my studies here. Rosalind Franklin is a very interprofessional school, with many different post graduate programs. My experiences with students from these various programs has shown me that all post graduate education in any health care related field has one thing in common in the beginning, a required mastery of the basic biomedical sciences. My educational experience at Lewis University helped me extremely well in the transition into my current studies. The foundation that Lewis University has laid for me has helped me greatly in the first two years studying medicine. I have found myself confident enough in my course studies to find time to pursue additional opportunities in my field ahead of my current education. I have been able to work along side several podiatric physicians treating patients for ailments ranging from palliative care for wounds to needing total rear foot and ankle reconstructive surgery, and have been able to organize and help participate in several free screening clinics in the community for those in need.

I would like to thank the wonderful faculty in the Biology department at Lewis University for their motivation and compassion in providing students like me a foundation to build upon for the rest of their life, and for helping me to become the student I am today.