April 07, 2025
Elena Cabral ’26 wins Goldwater Scholarship — the nation’s most prestigious undergraduate award in the sciences
By Michael Hagan ’15, ’19G
Elena Cabral ’26, a biology major, honors student, and sprinter on the track and field team, is at the starting line of a distinguished career in scientific research. She is one of 441 students in the nation to receive a 2025 Goldwater Scholarship, the most prestigious undergraduate scholarship in engineering, mathematics, and natural sciences in the United States.
Cabral, from Somerset, Massachusetts, will receive up to $7,500 from the Barry Goldwater Scholarship and Excellence in Education Foundation to use toward her education. She learned that she received the award while in Raleigh, North Carolina, for a track meet in late March. The announcement was made on her birthday.
“Elena is proactive in her learning, tenacious when attempting to solve a challenging problem, and thinks like a scientist,” said Kathleen Cornely, Ph.D., the Robert H. Walsh ’39 Endowed Professor in Chemistry and Biochemistry and Goldwater campus representative. “Students at Providence College have opportunities to work on research projects, supervised by faculty mentors, as early as their first year. I believe this contributes to their success in obtaining Goldwater Fellowships.”
Cabral is the fourth Providence College student in five years to be selected for the Goldwater. The others are Emma McLaughlin ’20, an applied physics major studying for a Ph.D. in physics at Columbia University; Colby Agostino ’22, a biochemistry and computer science double major studying for a Ph.D. in biochemistry and molecular biophysics at the University of Pennsylvania’s Perelman School of Medicine; and Katie Kudla ’24, a physics major studying for a Ph.D. in physics with an astrophysics emphasis at the University of California, Santa Barbara.
Cabral hopes to attend a research-focused graduate program in biology and biochemistry. On campus, she works in the cell biology laboratory of Kristi Miller, Ph.D., assistant professor of biology, studying how cells couple their growth and division to stay the right size as they respond to changing environmental conditions. In the summer of 2025, she will spend 10 weeks in a molecular biosciences program at Colorado State University through a National Science Foundation-supported Research Experience for Undergraduates.
“I told my track coaches that I’ll be training at high altitude,” Cabral said.
At PC, Cabral’s weekdays begin with class at 8:30 a.m. Between morning classes and afternoons in the lab, she trains on the Ray Treacy Track or in the varsity athletics training area of the Concannon Fitness Center. After lab hours, she works on assignments for her other courses. Weekends during the spring track season often include out-of-state travel with the team. Between it all, she finds time to relax by cooking and sharing meals with roommates in her DiTraglia Hall apartment, reading at coffee shops around Providence, and searching for unique items at thrift stores with friends.
Cabral joined Miller’s lab during the spring of 2024 and was awarded a Robert H. Walsh ’39, ’66Hon. Student Research Fellowship to continue her research throughout the summer. The fellowship included a $5,600 stipend, $1,000 for supplies, and $1,000 for her faculty mentor.
“Elena is independent. She knows what to do next and understands how our research fits into the broader scientific landscape,” Miller said. “She’s a leader in the lab and a natural teacher to other students. She’s driven and curious, with a genuine enthusiasm for uncovering what science hasn’t yet explained.”
Cells are living things, so Cabral and other students in the lab sometimes personify the samples they study, assigning them feelings like happiness, anger, and excitement to describe their behavior under changing conditions. They also enjoy noting variations in cell size and shape.
“We always look for strange-looking cells. We have a wall with images of the funniest cells,” Cabral said.
Cabral’s humor, creativity, and love of narrative helped her excel in her Development of Western Civilization courses and led her to minor in English. She is studying novelist and playwright Cormac McCarthy in a course with Russell Hillier, Ph.D., professor of English. A favorite course was her honors colloquium, a requirement of the Honors Program. She studied autobiographical and biographical literature with Tuire Valkeari, Ph.D., professor of English.
“Writing is an edge I have that a lot of scientists don’t focus on,” Cabral said. “It’s essential. I’m grateful for professors who have helped me develop this skill.”
In Miller’s lab, Cabral alters the genetic makeup of yeast cells to create specific mutations, helping her uncover which genes are responsible for controlling cell size under challenging environmental conditions. While this research is aimed at answering fundamental biological questions, it will also help shed light on diseases like cancer, where uncontrolled cell growth and abnormal cell size are characteristic features. She reported and analyzed her findings as the centerpiece of her Goldwater application, which she prepared with help from Miller and Cornely.
“I have always been more comfortable writing about other people,” Cabral said. “By working with my nominators, I learned to write about myself and to narrate my experiences, studies, and aspirations.”
Darra Mulderry, Ph.D., associate director of the Center for Engaged Learning and director of national and international fellowships, helped Cabral refine her application and wrote a nomination letter with Cornely.
“In this, my ninth, year as campus fellowships advisor, I continue to be blown away by the quality of our Goldwater applicants. PC has a remarkable number of deeply curious, hard-working STEM students who flourish in research under the guidance of excellent mentors. They are go-getters who, with prestigious Goldwater endorsement, are positioned to make valuable scientific contributions in their lifetime,” Mulderry said.
The Goldwater is open to sophomores and juniors who intend to pursue a research career in the natural sciences, mathematics, or engineering. An estimated pool of more than 5,000 undergraduate students sought the award in 2025. Of that total, 1,350 were nominated by 445 colleges and universities, and 441 were chosen.
“With Elena’s academic resume, research experience, and now this award, she can absolutely shoot for the stars,” Miller said. “It will be exciting to see where her studies and career take her.”
Cabral also tutors students in organic chemistry. In graduate school, she hopes to experience life beyond the Northeast.
“I’m looking at molecular biology and biochemistry programs at large research universities, maybe somewhere a little warmer,” she said.
She hopes that when she departs Providence College, another Cabral might arrive. Her brother will graduate from high school weeks after she graduates from PC in May 2026.
“Maybe he’ll be a Friar. We are all recommending it,” she said.
