Autumn Neale has always been interested in science. “It’s an area I’ve always thrived in,” she said.

In middle school, the Lincoln native was diagnosed with a chronic illness – Hashimoto’s thyroiditis, an autoimmune condition that causes an underactive thyroid. Through her doctor appointments and trips to the hospital, Autumn realized she could use her love of science in the medical field.

“Being around those doctors and seeing the care they gave me pushed me to explore that career more,” she said. “I want to be able to give that care to somebody else.”

During her senior year at Lincoln Southeast, Autumn, a swimmer, began looking for colleges that would fit her requirements. “It was important for me to have a strong STEM program, and then if the swimming opportunity were there, I would take it,” she said.

She found both at College of Saint Mary. Today, a junior, Autumn is majoring in kinesiology and exercise science. “I knew I wanted to go pre-medicine, but I didn’t necessarily want to do the standard biology or chemistry. I wanted to go the nontraditional route to try to stick out more,” she said. “I’m an athlete and like exercise science, so kinesiology is the perfect match.”

Autumn enjoys working closely with her academic major professor Andrew Shim, PhD. “I enjoy doing hands-on research and collecting data. That’s what got me excited about kinesiology,” she said. “I wanted to work with athletes during my undergraduate career.”

She’s also developed relationships with Professor Ganesh Naik, PhD, director of the Chemistry program, and Associate Professor Jennifer Grove, PhD, in the biology department.

“They’ve been great resources for helping me along the journey to attend medical school one day,” Autumn said. “I have many questions about that. I’ve enjoyed their classes. I really love STEM classes.”

Autumn also is a member of the Flames Swim Team.

She began swimming when she was 6 years old. In middle school, she joined a club team; in high school, she joined the Lincoln Southeast Knights team.

At CSM, Autumn is a sprint freestyler, competing in the 50- and 100-meter races. As a sophomore, she began adding the butterfly to her rotation of races.

“I enjoy the positive team environment that swimming provides. You have people you can lean on. You don’t necessarily get connections like that in a classroom,” she said. “I just love being in the water.”