Kierra Archer is a junior biology major from Fort Lauderdale, Florida. As a student, Archer has accomplished many things both inside and outside of the classroom. She has been recognized for her academic achievements, receiving awards such as being a LSAMP Scholar, Cultural Vistas Fellow, and recently a Johnson & Johnson STEM 2D Scholar.
The work she has done in her biology major has allowed her to conduct research as well as travel outside of the country. As a research assistant in the lab with
Tiffany Oliver, Ph.D., Archer observes organochloride levels in Eskimos effect DNA methylation of participants with cancerous tissue and non-cancerous tissue. This past summer, Archer was a participant of the SMDEP program at Yale School of Medicine. She participated in clinical exposure to develop an understanding of the doctor-patient relationships. Archer's research has also taken her outside of the country. She has traveled with Cultural Vistas to Berlin and Munich Germany for a STEM tour of international jobs available to stem majors making connections and becoming a global citizen.
In addition to using her biology major to change the world of health and medicine, she serves as leader in the Spelman community. She is a resident advisor in Howard Harrell Hall as well as a SpelTech assistant. Archer has also volunteered at Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta Egleston this past semester. As a volunteer in the family library, she assisted patients with check out of books and DVD’s. She also designed activities for patients to partake in or complete in their room as well as delivering smile-o-grams to patients from family members.
As Archer moves onto her senior year here at Spelman College, she is also gearing up to complete some short-term and long-term goals. Her short term career goals include attending medical school and using her residency to become a great pediatric doctor. Her long-term career goals include working in a children's hospital or owing her own private practice.