‘Earlham makes you shine:’ Earlhamite graduating with wealth of hands-on experiences

From neuroscience research to working as a liaison for Google, Sharon Wong has seemingly done it all while studying at Earlham.

“Earlham makes you shine,” says Wong. “They find you and support you and help you to thrive. I would not have had the opportunities I’ve had had it not been for this school. Everything you invest in will not go to waste — trust the process, embrace the journey, and you will see the rewards of your efforts.”

An internship with Indiana University Purdue University Indianapolis, Wong’s first made with connections from Earlham, “helped me to understand my future and my career and figure out that I wanted to pursue research,” she says. “At the time, I wasn’t sure what direction I wanted to take, but working with animals in a scientific capacity and applying computer science to neuroscience research sparked something in me. It was the first time I saw how data could speak to brain function, and it helped me realize I wanted to pursue research long-term.”

Working with faculty and staff from Earlham’s Center for Global Health to secure the internship, at IUPUI Wong worked with animals in a scientific capacity, and learned how to marry neuroscience with machine learning, using both neuroscience and computer science concepts for research. From there, she went on to double major in computer science and neuroscience. The summer internship led to collaborative research between Earlham’s Center for Global Health and IUPUI and an additional health externship with Dr. Judy D. Risch, O.D., at the Eye Center of Richmond.

Her second internship, funded through Earlham’s Center for Global Health and a Yunger Fellowship, was with Case Western Reserve University, working in neuroengineering, “I learned how to write a proposal and learned that if I want to do research, I want to make sure I can have it supported with past research and that the work is benefitting others,” Wong recalls. “I will need to do this later on anyway as a PhD student, so that gave me good experience.”

A third internship at the University of Pennsylvania’s School of Medicine was funded by Earlham’s Epic Advantage, an offer to every student of up to $5,000 in support of a culminating, career-discerning experience before graduation. “This gave me the space to dive deeper into how behavioral data, EEG signals, and communication strategies can predict real-world outcomes—in this case, entrepreneurial pitch success. It was a unique chance to bring everything I’d learned so far together, and to see how neuroscience, storytelling, and technology intersect,” says Wong.

Additionally, during her time at Earlham, Wong has flexed her computer science muscles in creative ways. Through Earlham’s Center for Innovation and Creativity and working with faculty like Gene Hambrick, she has held an ambassador position with Google, working as a liaison between the College and the tech company through her work as a computer science major. Wong has also had the privilege to break out her coding skills.

“I’ve attended several hackathons through Earlham,” she says of the timed events where tech and business experts compete to find creative solutions to problems and help prepare attendees for real-world scenarios in business and tech sectors. “These moments helped me think about how tech can be used not just in labs but in building tools and systems that serve people.”

None of which could be possible without Earlham – a fact that Sharon is grateful for as she plans for a future in neuroscience.

Written by Jay Kibble, writer/editor for Earlham College’s Marketing and Communications Office.

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About Earlham College 

Earlham College and Earlham School of Religion foster a collaborative learning community that inspires and motivates students with transformative opportunities and experiences so they can become catalysts for good in a changing world. Located in Richmond, Indiana, Earlham is one of U.S. News & World Report’s Top 100 national liberal arts colleges and offers one of the top 20 classroom experiences in the nation, according to the Princeton Review.