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“On graduation day, professors make tons of noise when our students' names are called,” says Laura Laranjo, PhD, assistant professor of biology. “We know their journey, and we know their struggles—it’s an incredibly proud moment.”

Laranjo has enjoyed her share of proud moments since she began teaching at Salem State. For example, two of her students won the Kathy Murphy Endowed Biology Research Award last year. They used the funds to collaborate with Laranjo to research harmful DNA mutations caused by taking certain FDA-approved drugs. They then presented their findings at the Darwin Festival, Salem State’s annual celebration of the work of Charles Darwin. “Many of my students are immigrants—like me—and funds from awards like these play a key role in helping them succeed,” Laranjo says. 

“Funding affected me personally because I came from a low-income family, and I had to work overtime while completing my undergraduate studies,” she continues. “My hands always had chemical burns from my job as a cleaner, but classmates thought it was from lab research. Fortunately, financial assistance eventually enabled me to concentrate on my studies full-time.”

This year, Laranjo won the Outstanding Faculty Award at Salem State.