Cancer-Fighting Career Began at Monmouth University for Lifesaving Scientist

Now a third-year PhD candidate at Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory (CSHL), Nicole Sivetz ’19 is researching how inflammation affects metastasis—the spread of cancer. Alongside this important research, Nicole co-authors scientific journal articles and leads a grassroots network that empowers women scientists and works to build a more equal scientific community for all.

Reflecting on her time as a molecular biology and chemistry student at Monmouth University, Nicole says she credits her undergraduate years as “essential.” She recalls working on targeted cancer therapies in faculty-led labs and attributes her ability to partake in hands-on research as early as her freshman year with “definitely giving me an advantage” when she applied to CSHL, a world-renowned institution that has been home to eight Nobel laureates.

According to Nicole, her Monmouth experience provided the foundational skill sets necessary to pursue her dream of becoming a scientist in the pharmaceutical industry. However, Nicole cannot forget those who made her Monmouth education affordable, such as Don ’61 and Hedy Bressler.

“Thanks to Don and Hedy’s generosity, I had the freedom to take my college experience to new heights and achieve my post-graduate goals. I hope my story will inspire future donors to see the value of investing in Monmouth University students,” Nicole says.

Scholarship support was a vital part of Nicole’s success as an undergraduate, and thanks to the Bresslers, who established a distinguished endowed scholarship through a cash and planned gift, Nicole is finding new ways to tackle cancer—without student debt limiting her potential.

Learn how you can create a perpetual scholarship of your own through a planned gift and launch a student’s future by contacting Amanda Klaus ’09 at 732-571-3411 or legacy@monmouth.edu.