Class of 2015
Sonora Williams experiments with mice deficient in serotonin, a chemical responsible for depression, when there's not enough of it in the brain. Williams' study, which looks at the effects of a harmful early life environment on serotonin levels in mice, could someday be applied to humans and lead to more effective treatments for depression, and a reduction in suicidality among serotonin-deficient individuals.
Williams says her results have been promising so far, and expects to co-author a few papers on her work.
Off-campus, Williams is training a therapy dog according to the American Kennel Club guidelines. She still has a way to go with her puppy, she says, but plans to get him registered as a certified therapy dog when he's older.
Williams has been accepted to medical school for the fall, and while she hasn't decided where she will go yet, she plans to specialize in pediatric neurosurgery.