Alumni Spotlight: Sophia Lookingbill ‘12

Sophia Lookingbill, member of the St. Francis Xavier Catholic School Class of 2012 attributes her academic success to the foundation she received in Catholic education.

After graduating from both St. Francis Xavier in 2012 and Delone Catholic High School in 2016, Sophia made a short trip to attend Mount St. Mary’s University in Emmitsburg, MD. After graduating from the Mount in 2020 with a BS in Biology as a National Science Foundation Mount Opportunities for Success in Science (MOSS) Scholar and after receiving her degree, she accepted a Cancer Research Training Award (CRTA) Post-Baccalaureate Fellowship with the National Institutes of Health at the National Cancer Institute. She joined Dr. John Brognard’s laboratory in the Laboratory of Cell and Developmental Signaling of the Center for Cancer Research in Frederick, MD. Her research focuses on identifying understudied, disease-relevant kinases and characterizing potential therapeutics to treat solid-tumor cancers. She is currently planning to begin graduate studies in the Fall of 2022 and earn a Ph.D. in biomedical sciences.

Sophie believes the values instilled by her Catholic education continue to impact the high, ethical standards she practices in her research.

“I attribute much of my academic success to the dedication and support from the faculty, teachers, and mentors throughout my Catholic education. The educational foundations laid by St. Francis Xavier Catholic School and Delone Catholic High School allowed me to pursue my goal of making an impact in the scientific community through my work in cancer research. My Catholic education is a gift I will forever cherish as it provided me unique opportunities from a young age that continuously encouraged me to work hard to fulfill my potential as a young scientist.”