What he'll be doing

Pursuing a doctorate in cancer biology. "It's an unusual program that brings scientists and clinicians together to fight cancer. The way scientists and physicians think sometimes is very different."

The alumni connection

Sanfilippo shadowed a scientist for a week at Weill Cornell Medical College. A physician and Kenyon alumnus arranged the medical research externship, which paved the way for summer internships. "I think alumni are more passionate about Kenyon than those from larger schools."

"I had the extensive research experience I needed to get into a highly competitive Ph.D. program.

How a Kenyon education helped

It gave Sanfilippo enough research experience to stuff a graduate student's resume. He served four years as a research assistant for professor Joan Slonczewski, co-authored three scientific papers and presented two of them at national conferences in Boston and Toronto. "I had the extensive research experience I needed to get into a highly competitive Ph.D. program. Much of the work I will be doing at Sloan-Kettering I've already done at Kenyon."

Why Kenyon?

"I knew it had a strong science program that would give me the opportunity to research and publish."