{"id":17965,"date":"2025-04-29T08:20:00","date_gmt":"2025-04-29T12:20:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/cals.ncsu.edu\/molecular-and-structural-biochemistry\/news\/committed-to-service\/"},"modified":"2026-08-07T17:35:18","modified_gmt":"2026-08-07T21:35:18","slug":"committed-to-service","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/cals.ncsu.edu\/molecular-and-structural-biochemistry\/news\/committed-to-service\/","title":{"rendered":"Committed to Service"},"content":{"rendered":"\n\n\n\n\n

By Chad Saleska<\/p>\n\n\n\n

From scholarship and leadership to service and character, Isaac Ali personifies the four pillars of a Park Scholar<\/a>. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

As a student in NC State University\u2019s College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, he has gained knowledge from mentors, advised incoming students, completed research projects and mentored local youth.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cAs a Park Scholar, I\u2019ve been able to solidify my interests and carve my niche, particularly in service and leadership,\u201d says Ali, who graduates on May 3. \u201cThe Park Scholars program\u2019s commitment to service encouraged me to pursue service opportunities that did more than check a box.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Park Scholarships program, which awards four-year scholarships based on student accomplishments and potential in scholarship, leadership, service and character, has dramatically impacted Ali\u2019s time at NC State and positively affected his career trajectory.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIt gave me the freedom and flexibility to pursue opportunities that may otherwise have been inaccessible,\u201d Ali says. <\/strong>\u201cStarting my first day on campus, the Park faculty dedicated their time and offered support. It\u2019s a lifelong support network that I can continue to lean on.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Faculty Support Grows Experiences and Opportunities<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Ali originally intended to study chemical engineering and political science but quickly became interested in biochemistry and history and then explored how he could incorporate different interests into research. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI changed my major to history after finding a professor willing to support an interdisciplinary thesis studying the intersection of health and humanities,\u201d says Ali, referring to his honors thesis in history. He is also majoring in biochemistry<\/a>. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"a
Ali conducts an experiment in a chemistry laboratory.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

He conducts research in the chemistry department, focusing on improving how cells make terpenes \u2014 important natural chemicals used in things like medicines and fragrances \u2014 by cloning a sensor inside the cell that helps track how much of those chemicals are being made. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cMy research overlaps chemistry, biochemistry, biotechnology, chemical engineering and microbiology. I never have to choose between my interests.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Ali\u2019s emphasis on research developed during his freshman year, leading to his selection as a Beckman Scholar<\/a> and his funding for two years of mentored research under Gavin Williams, head of the Department of Chemistry<\/a>. Leveraging that experience, Ali joined the Office of Undergraduate Research<\/a> as a research ambassador<\/a> for incoming students.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cBeing a research ambassador significantly impacted my four years at NC State,\u201d he  says. \u201cI engaged with many students, advising them on pursuing research and finding the right faculty for support.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Last summer, Ali interned at the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute (DFCI)<\/a> during a 10-week residential research program for undergraduates interested in biotechnology. \u201cI got to extend my work into translational research, which bridges basic scientific discoveries with clinical applications.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"a
Ali with the graduation class of Park Scholars.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

New Perspective on Service<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Service is a central focus of Ali\u2019s academic journey. During the COVID-19 pandemic, he launched a remote tutoring program for younger students suffering from education gaps created by online learning.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In 2023, Ali partnered with Raleigh-based organization Neighbor to Neighbo<\/a>r (N2N), a community program that aims to alleviate the stunting effects of poverty on youth education and development.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201c<\/strong>I found a community helping local youth, which profoundly resonates with me,\u201d says Ali, who also works as a volunteer EMT at the Open Door Clinic in Raleigh. \u201cAt first, I was in charge of about a dozen teens, but our end goal was to create a one-on-one mentorship model to ensure each student had a familiar support system.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As more mentors joined N2N, Ali narrowed his focus to a single student and helped implement teen leadership initiatives and health workshops into the program.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cServing for two years at N2N and helping it grow into a larger community-oriented organization dramatically altered my perspective on and approach to meaningful and effective service,\u201d Ali says. <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

A Bright Future  <\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Ali plans on taking a gap year after graduation to apply for M.D.-Ph.D. programs, seeking to focus on long-term immunology research to develop personalized immunotherapies. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

He has ambitious goals, but is confident NC State has prepared him both scholastically and personally.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cFaculty supported me every step of the way, which was crucial,\u201d Ali says. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIt was only through experimenting that I could feel confident in my interests \u2014 and that wouldn\u2019t have been possible without faculty support and the unique coursework available in CALS.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n