New graduate Zahria Patrick will pursue a PhD at the Georgia Institute of Technology after earning her BS in chemistry. (Photo by Derik Holtmann)

University of Missouri–St. Louis senior Zahria Patrick found a little time earlier this month, in between writing her final lab report and studying for one last quiz, to decorate her graduation cap and lay out her collection of stoles and cords to see how they would all stack together.

She even put on the regalia and took a peek in the mirror.

“I was just looking at myself like, ‘Oh my gosh, I’m graduating college. This is crazy,’” she said. “I don’t think it’s really hit me.”

For Patrick, who graduated magna cum laude with her BS in chemistry and a certificate from the Pierre Laclede Honors College, Saturday morning’s walk across the commencement stage with other graduates of the College of Arts and Sciences at the Mark Twain Athletic Center marked the end of a nearly five-year journey – one that officially began in the fall of 2020 when she enrolled at UMSL as the first member of her family to go to college. It’s also a launching point for next fall, when she’ll begin pursuing her PhD at the Georgia Institute of Technology in Atlanta.

She can’t help but be grateful for the transformation that has taken place to get her from one point to the other.

“I have become more of a risk-taker and more confident in my decisions and my ability to influence people,” she said. “I’ve traveled for the first time. I’ve presented research. I have really gained a lot of experience public speaking. I’ve just come to love myself a lot more now that I’m older, as compared to when I came in when I was 18.”

Patrick had always been a strong student with a passion for learning throughout her childhood, including as a student at Cardinal Ritter College Prep. That’s what earned her a place in the Honors College’s Opportunity Scholars Program, which provides full-tuition scholarships to top St. Louis-area high school students who are the first in their family to enroll in college or who are underrepresented in their chosen fields.

She knew even before starting college that she wanted to study chemistry.

“I always tell people chemistry is the closest I can get to magic,” said Patrick, who recalled being mesmerized by experiments, including playing with dry ice or burning magnesium to create a bright white light, in her high school class.

Patrick wasn’t content to limit her lessons to the classroom. She also got involved in research early on through her participation in an interdisciplinary program overseen by Associate Teaching Professor Jamillah Boyd and Professor E. Paulette Isaac-Savage with support from the National Science Foundation.

That led her to spend the summer of 2022 working as a research assistant at the University of Missouri–Columbia, where she participated in a project involving (4 + 3) cycloadditions of N-substituted oxidopyridinium ions and learned to use techniques such as flash chromatography and solvent extraction.

Patrick was hooked after that initial lab experience and set out looking for opportunities to do more upon returning to UMSL for the fall semester. She found one working as a research assistant in the lab of Professor James Bashkin in the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry. The lab works to develop polyamide drugs that can combat human papilloma virus, which is linked to cervical cancer.

Bashkin became a great support the past three years.

“His feedback is always constructive, and he’s just wonderful to be around,” Patrick said. “He made me feel like family. I only hope in my next lab I get someone that’s just as supportive and kind and helpful as Dr. Baskin is.”

Much of her work has had a focus on green chemistry – that is, the design of chemical products and processes that reduce or eliminate the use or generation of hazardous substances.

She’s had a chance to present research on at least seven occasions since joining Bashkin’s lab. That includes this spring, when she received a travel award to present her work on green synthesis of pharmaceutical intermediates at the American Association for the Advancement of Science Emerging Researchers National Conference in STEM in Atlanta.

Bashkin has developed great admiration for Patrick as he’s watched her grow as a student, a researcher and, more recently, as the head active learning assistant for quantitative analysis.

“Zahria has been an immensely talented chemistry student in all aspects of the curriculum,” Bashkin said. “She worked hard to master chemistry, but her love of the subject was constant. She gave back to the department by serving as a teaching assistant, and this further deepened her understanding of important concepts. She also injected great enthusiasm into the Chemistry Club, organizing many popular activities for students.”

Patrick was originally unsure if she should pursue her PhD, but it was actually an experience she had presenting at another national conference in Atlanta last summer that convinced her to take that step.

“I saw so many people talk about how much they love doing green chemistry research and how they incorporate green chemistry in their curriculum,” she said. “I’m like, ‘Wow, I really, really enjoy this.’ And also just being a TA and an ALA for these different chemistry classes, I’ve realized I really love the mentor aspect of being a scientist, and I want to keep doing it.’”

She was initially adamant she would do so somewhere in St. Louis, though she admits those parameters had something to do with a fear of moving away on her own.

When she started exploring other potential programs, Georgia Tech quickly grabbed her attention. It’s often ranked among the top 20 graduate programs in the country for chemistry, and Patrick said the university made it clear it wanted her.

“I always really appreciate people that can see a person’s potential,” she said. “It’s a risk to go all in for somebody like that, but I’m really, really appreciative of the fact that they wanted me that badly, because that’s exactly what UMSL did. They wanted me so badly when I got the OSP scholarship. Usually when that happens, I’m determined to prove to them that they’ve made the right choice.”

Patrick is grateful for mentors such as Bashkin, Boyd, Isaac-Savage, Associate Teaching Professor Lynda McDowell, Student Support Services Manager Nykea Watts and faculty members in the Honors College for their encouragement as she’s matured and progressed toward her degree.

Boyd, for one, is just as eager to see what she does next.

“It has been a true pleasure watching Zahria grow and excel as a scholar,” Boyd said. “Her dedication to her studies truly sets her apart. Zahria embodies leadership, integrity and a deep passion for learning, making a lasting impact on the campus community. I am excited to see what’s to come as she embarks on the next phase of her journey.”