Camila ("Cami") del Mar Odio came to Kenyon to find her niche. She found her niches instead: science, salsa, and more. An aspiring physician, Odio fills her days and nights conducting scientific research, teaching Spanish, leading aerobics classes, and learning guitar. Her interests may seem like strange bedfellows, but "they all go together because they're mine," she says.

A molecular biology major in the Class of 2011, Odio averages eight hours a week in the laboratory, where she studies the binding properties of a protein toxin receptor to probe the mechanisms behind the accumulation of disease-causing dioxins in dairy, meat, and fish. The office of her mentor, Associate Professor of Biology Wade H. Powell, conveniently is located next door. "If I have a question, he is always around," Odio said. "Our relationship is more like a partnership than anything else."

"That's the idea of a liberal arts college. It's not all about science, but a multidisciplinary take on life."

Pursuit of her passions ranges well beyond the science quad. A black belt in Tae Kwon Do at age 11 who grew up in a Spanish-speaking family, Odio sharpens and shares those experiences as a cardio kickboxing/step aerobics instructor at the Kenyon Athletic Center and as a volunteer foreign-language tutor at Wiggin Street Elementary School in Gambier. Guitar lessons to meet her arts requirement complete the portrait of a well-rounded, salsa music-loving student. "That's the idea of a liberal arts college," she said. "It's not all about science, but a multidisciplinary take on life."

Kenyon paved the way for Odio to engage in rigorous research as an undergraduate in close association with faculty scientists such as Powell. "Going to a big school does not always translate into more opportunities," she said. "Sometimes you get lost in the numbers. I came here to do research, but it has turned into so much more."