Army officer and aspiring veterinarian becomes Rowan’s first GEM Fellow
Army officer and aspiring veterinarian becomes Rowan’s first GEM Fellow
September 10, 2024
Legé Rozier is a graduate of the U.S. Military Academy at West Point.
Legé Rozier is a small business owner, a commissioned officer in the U.S. Army, and now Rowan University’s first GEM Fellow. As she begins the first year of her Master of Science in Bioinformatics, the 25-year-old from Miami, Florida, is keeping an open mind about the direction of her future career.
“As long as I'm involved with animals, genetics, science and medicine, I'm happy,” Rozier said. “I wanted to be a veterinarian since I was a kid, and I’ve always loved animals of all kinds.”
The National GEM Consortium pairs high-performing students from underrepresented backgrounds with graduate programs in the fields of science, technology, engineering and math (STEM). As an associate fellow, Rozier is receiving full tuition and fee support along with a stipend jointly funded by Rowan’s Department of Biological & Biomedical Sciences and the College of Science & Mathematics.
Rozier’s enrollment marks Rowan’s first recruitment through the GEM Fellowship program since joining the consortium in 2022.
“We’re eager to contribute to the GEM Consortium’s national effort,” said Stephanie Lezotte, Ph.D., assistant dean of the School of Graduate Studies and GEM representative for Rowan University. “And we’re excited to see the impact Rowan GEM Fellows like Legé will have in their fields.”
A graduate of the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, Rozier has served in the U.S. Army since December 2017 and was commissioned as an officer in May 2024. In her role as small business owner and hobbyist breeder at Good, Better, Best Reptiles LLC, she specializes in ethically breeding ball pythons for different pattern and color mutations as pets.
“That's what got me interested in genetics and bioinformatics,” Rozier said. “I like learning about how different phenotypes and genotypes are linked and how to analyze genetic data and material.”
The process of securing the fellowship, from meeting the preliminary requirements to interviewing with potential employer and university sponsors, took Rozier a year.
“Legé is an excellent applicant who will add a diverse perspective and an excellent set of skills to our program,” said Nathaniel Nucci, Ph.D., Biological & Biomedical Sciences graduate coordinator and associate professor in the departments of Physics & Astronomy and Biological & Biomedical Sciences. “She stood out not only for her academic preparedness but also her readiness to hit the ground running.”
Rozier was “ecstatic” to learn she had been awarded a GEM Fellowship.
“It really opens up different paths for my future,” she said. “I would never have imagined myself as a first-generation college student now going to get my master's degree. A program like this helps propel underrepresented students.”
Increasing diversity benefits STEM fields, as well as individual students, Rozier said.
“When you’re attacking different problems, you can gain a lot more ground in research and science from different perspectives,” she said.
“Investing in promising students like Legé will enhance Rowan’s ability to interface with the GEM Consortium, recruit industry-sponsored GEM Fellows into our programs and put Rowan and our program on those companies’ radars as potential places to sponsor students and hire people,” Nucci said.
“As long as I'm involved with animals, genetics, science and medicine, I'm happy,” Rozier said. “I wanted to be a veterinarian since I was a kid, and I’ve always loved animals of all kinds.”
The National GEM Consortium pairs high-performing students from underrepresented backgrounds with graduate programs in the fields of science, technology, engineering and math (STEM). As an associate fellow, Rozier is receiving full tuition and fee support along with a stipend jointly funded by Rowan’s Department of Biological & Biomedical Sciences and the College of Science & Mathematics.
Rozier’s enrollment marks Rowan’s first recruitment through the GEM Fellowship program since joining the consortium in 2022.
“We’re eager to contribute to the GEM Consortium’s national effort,” said Stephanie Lezotte, Ph.D., assistant dean of the School of Graduate Studies and GEM representative for Rowan University. “And we’re excited to see the impact Rowan GEM Fellows like Legé will have in their fields.”
A graduate of the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, Rozier has served in the U.S. Army since December 2017 and was commissioned as an officer in May 2024. In her role as small business owner and hobbyist breeder at Good, Better, Best Reptiles LLC, she specializes in ethically breeding ball pythons for different pattern and color mutations as pets.
“That's what got me interested in genetics and bioinformatics,” Rozier said. “I like learning about how different phenotypes and genotypes are linked and how to analyze genetic data and material.”
The process of securing the fellowship, from meeting the preliminary requirements to interviewing with potential employer and university sponsors, took Rozier a year.
“Legé is an excellent applicant who will add a diverse perspective and an excellent set of skills to our program,” said Nathaniel Nucci, Ph.D., Biological & Biomedical Sciences graduate coordinator and associate professor in the departments of Physics & Astronomy and Biological & Biomedical Sciences. “She stood out not only for her academic preparedness but also her readiness to hit the ground running.”
Rozier was “ecstatic” to learn she had been awarded a GEM Fellowship.
“It really opens up different paths for my future,” she said. “I would never have imagined myself as a first-generation college student now going to get my master's degree. A program like this helps propel underrepresented students.”
Increasing diversity benefits STEM fields, as well as individual students, Rozier said.
“When you’re attacking different problems, you can gain a lot more ground in research and science from different perspectives,” she said.
“Investing in promising students like Legé will enhance Rowan’s ability to interface with the GEM Consortium, recruit industry-sponsored GEM Fellows into our programs and put Rowan and our program on those companies’ radars as potential places to sponsor students and hire people,” Nucci said.