When Chloe Powell was seeking to advance her professional preparation, she looked no further than Anderson University.
Powell, who graduated from the Anderson University College of Arts and Sciences with her BS in biology and a minor in biomedical sciences, came to Anderson from her hometown of Johnsonville, South Carolina.
Powell credits her parents for inspiring her career path, particularly her dad, who has worked in various areas of healthcare. She recalls when she was in high school having a conversation with one of her cousins who graduated from AU and currently teaches at Westside High School in Anderson.
“She loved it and talked so highly about it, so I told my parents ‘Let me try Anderson. Let me go do a tour there.’ We went up one weekend and I just absolutely fell in love with it,” Powell said. “Coming from a small town, I graduated with 68 people, I think, and so having a smaller class size was really one of the reasons I chose to go there. I wanted to have a more personal relationship with my professors. I also grew up in church, so I knew the Christian atmosphere of it was something I wanted to do.”
Powell initially investigated the possibility of entering medical school to become a forensic pathologist but felt that a four-year program wasn’t right for her. She then heard that the Anderson University College of Health Professions was establishing the School of Clinical Laboratory Science, which houses the new Pathologists’ Assistant program. She felt led to enroll.
“I’ve always wanted to look at the pathologist side of the medical world. I started looking into it and was liking what I was hearing—it’s a two-year program, there’s surgical pathology, you can do autopsies, you can teach—there are a lot of possibilities with the career itself,” Powell said. “I decided this is what I want to do, so I shadowed the medical examiner for Anderson County and then I shadowed a surgical pathologist at AnMed. I just fell in love with it and figured out that’s what I wanted to do. Ever since then, I’ve been on that goal… When I shadowed the surgical pathologist at AnMed I just fell in love with it. I’ve always loved being in the lab so I think I’m going to do something like that with it.”
Powell feels that her undergraduate program at Anderson prepared her well for the Pathologists’ Assistant program and meshes well with the courses she’s now taking.
“I took anatomy and physiology in my undergrad and had to take another anatomy in this program now. It was a lot more in depth because as a pathologists’ assistant you’ve got to know your anatomy well, but it prepared me for that and then this next semester we’re taking micro and immunology.”
Powell also feels blessed to learn from Dr. Nnenna Igwe, who directs the AU College of Health Professions’ Cadaver Lab, in both her undergraduate and graduate studies.
“Not a lot of undergraduate degrees have cadaver labs, so that lab being at Anderson is super helpful and just solidifying that this is what I want to do for the rest of my life. Dr. Igwe has been a big inspiration. We’ve all learned from her and she’s an amazing teacher.”
With more coursework and clinicals down the road, Powell is considering whether to go into hospital work but is open to various opportunities.
Outside of her classes, Powell enjoys hanging out with her friends and going to athletic events.
“It’s overall a great family atmosphere. Lots of relationships I’ve formed over the years—that’s my biggest thing,” said Powell, adding that she also leads a group of high school girls at Concord Baptist Church, which she attends.
“Most of my time is either spent at school or it’s spent at church,” she said. “Other than that, just hobby wise, I love going to downtown Anderson, looking at the shops and going to the coffee shops.”
“Chloe is an amazing student,” said Professor Julie Bostick. “She loves AU and is doing very well in our program.”
