Philo UwamariaMichael Bailey is a high-achieving international student from Jamaica who just graduated from Maryville College in Tennessee with a Bachelor’s in Neuroscience, and he’s been accepted into a prestigious PhD program at SUNY Upstate Medical University to study Biomedical Sciences with a focus on Neuroscience. Talk about impressive!
Bailey grew up in rural Jamaica without a lot of resources, but he never let that hold him back.
His determination and resourcefulness allowed him to secure a scholarship to attend Maryville College, where he hit the ground running. He was a Dean’s List student every year and was even a top 5 finalist for the college’s Outstanding Senior Award out of 230 students.
Getting into a PhD program is no small feat–most of them only accept between 10-20% of applicants. But Bailey’s resume is stacked. He interned at places like Rutgers and Huntington Medical Research Institutes, where he researched conditions like autism, spinal cord injuries, depression, and lissencephaly. He even got his name on a research abstract presented at an international neuroscience conference. Baller move!
On top of all that, Bailey did a senior thesis investigating how exposure to pesticides like Roundup and malathion affects development and behavior. Not many studies have looked at the neurological impacts of those chemicals, so his research is breaking new ground.
But amidst all his achievements, Bailey faced the challenges of navigating challenges of cultural adaptation and adjusting to life in the United States. From stark cultural differences to misunderstanding the new environment, he leaned on the invaluable support and guidance of Morlette Cowan, the founder of the Adopt A Destiny organization, which provides mentorship and opportunities to Jamaican students studying in the United States aiding in his immigrant success story.
Bailey’s set to start his PhD program at SUNY Upstate in August 2025, where he will continue to contribute to the advancement of knowledge in the field of neuroscience.