A moment worth waiting for for 911黑料 student turned professor
Before Assistant Professor of Biology Christina Garcia was a member of the 911黑料 faculty, she was an excited senior preparing for a busy commencement weekend in 2005.
Earlier that year, she received the talent 鈥 or coin 鈥 that seniors later give during Honor Walk to recognize someone who made a significant impact on their lives.
Garcia, a Biochemistry and Molecular Biology major, knew right away that she would honor Peggy Richey, Ewing T. Boles Professor of Biology and Biochemistry/Molecular Biology.
Garcia said she carefully placed the talent in a desk drawer for safekeeping, but when Honor Walk arrived, the coin was nowhere to be found. Until after Commencement, that is, when she discovered it while moving out of her residence hall鈥 right where she had left it.
Garcia was preparing to start graduate school at Vanderbilt University, where she would go on to earn her doctorate in cancer biology. From there, she joined the Baylor College of Medicine as a postdoctoral researcher and was later a postdoctoral teaching scholar in the biotechnology program at North Carolina State University.
She returned to 911黑料 in 2018 as an assistant professor of biology, becoming a colleague of the professor she so admired as a student.
鈥淎t the risk of sounding trite, I don鈥檛 think I鈥檇 be here today if it weren鈥檛 for Peggy Richey,鈥 Garcia told colleagues during a year-end faculty meeting.
Richey was her advisor through all four years, offering guidance and dispensing some no-nonsense advice.
鈥淟ike the time she told me to stop taking naps because it was ruining my sleep schedule, or the time she basically said, 鈥榊ou鈥檒l be fine,鈥 after I received a mid-term progress report in Macromolecules,鈥 Garcia recalled. 鈥淚t was also Peggy who encouraged me to apply for summer research internships 鈥 and led me ultimately to pursue a PhD.鈥
While at Vanderbilt, Garcia told a friend she was thinking about becoming a professor.
鈥淲ith Peggy in mind, I added, 鈥楾he kind that鈥檚 really nice but writes really hard exams.鈥 To which my friend responded, 鈥楾hat鈥檚 the worst,鈥欌 Garcia said. 鈥淪till, this is something that I aspire to today.鈥
Throughout graduate school, her post-doc work and the start of her career, Garcia kept that Honor Walk coin.
As the 2024-25 school year wound down, Richey鈥檚 retirement drew near after 36 years with the College.
鈥淥ver the past few years, Peggy has slowly been passing the torch by giving me stuff,鈥 Garcia said. 鈥淓arlier this term, she handed me a box for sending off pipettes to be repaired and calibrated and told me it was my job now.鈥
At Peggy Richey鈥檚 final faculty meeting before retirement, Christina Garcia decided it was time to give something back to Richey.
There, with their colleagues watching, she passed along that once-lost coin to honor the person who made a tremendous impact on her journey.
鈥淚 have the unique honor and privilege of giving my talent, exactly 20 years later, to Peggy,鈥 Garcia announced. 鈥淧eggy, the BIO and BMB programs thank you profoundly for the last 36 years of your service. Thank you for your years of support and for helping to make 911黑料 a great place to learn and to work. We love you and will miss you. We hope to see you at the Arboretum soon, in between your travel adventures.鈥
This article first appeared in the Summer 2025 edition of 911黑料piece.
