Gianna Scarcelli

Journey to GMercyU

Gianna Scarcelli graduated from both William Tennent High School and the Middle Bucks Institute of Technology (MBIT) in 2020. At MBIT, Gianna completed their dental occupations program and became certified to take dental x-rays.

For Gianna, GMercyU was the most affordable option for school she’s able to live at home while commuting to campus.

“I’m able to spend a lot of time with my family and my two dogs who I would miss if I went away for college,” Gianna said.

One of her favorite parts about GMercyU is the suburban layout and the convenience of the area. The small class sizes were also a selling point for Gianna, as she felt it would allow her to make stronger connections with professors and classmates.

Involvement on Campus

Gianna is a member of the Student Association of Science (SAS) and is a peer tutor in the Student Success Center. She is also a member of the Honors Program, which has been beneficial to her experience at GMercyU.

“I am taking thought-provoking classes that I otherwise would not have experienced,” Gianna said.

Experience in the Biology Program

“The Biology program has been an enlightening and challenging experience for me,” Gianna said.

Although she has struggled with the writing intensive portions of the program, her professors have answered any questions and offered support and understanding.

Gianna has also taken courses to obtain minors in both Chemistry and Microbiology.

The ability to get the most out of my education at GMercyU has made my time here worthwhile and the kindness of the professors makes me feel as though I definitely made the right decision to attend this University.

Gianna has enjoyed all of the professors within the Biology program.

“Dr. McEliece, Dr. Lettini, Dr. Winters, Dr. Barbieri, Dr. Boudreau, and Dr. McClain all have their unique ways of teaching that make me look forward to taking another one of their classes,” Gianna said.

One class that stands out to Gianna is her Ecology lab with Dr. Lettini. It involves a semester-long project in which students assess the diversity of a creek located on campus.

While Gianna has not completed any internships yet, she works in a general dentist’s office as an assistant where she is cross-trained to work at the front desk. Her role is helping her to gain experience in the field since her goal is to attend dental school.

Research

During the summer after her freshman year, Gianna completed research with Dr. Lettini with a focus on microbiology.

“The additional time working in the lab greatly improved my pipetting and plating skills,” Gianna said.

Her research focused on collecting soil samples from various sites at John Heinz National Wildlife Refuge. Once the samples were collected, she was tasked with determining how the use of herbicides and the presence of invasive plants affected the diversity of the soil’s bacteria.

“The process included performing serial dilutions of the various soil samples, plating the diluted samples, isolating the bacteria, and identifying the different bacterial species,” Gianna said.

The experiments are still in progress and will allow Gianna to get a more accurate picture of the trends in order to formulate more valid conclusions.

Since the time the research was started, the refuge center has been sprayed with herbicides several times and bulldozed.

Samples that were collected before and after this took place are able to be compared to determine how the bacterial species have changed due to the altered environment.

Gianna plans to continue her research up until Summer 2023 to gather more information for her thesis.

Why GMercyU?

“I would recommend GMercyU to a prospective student because the small class sizes allow for more individualized attention. There are many events and clubs that a student can join whether they live in the dorms or commute to campus, Gianna said.

The food on campus is very good, especially the buffalo chicken pizza at the Pepperazzi, and if you’re looking to eat somewhere else, there are plenty of places to eat in the area. The campus is beautiful, and there is always some type of wildlife to see when walking between classes.

Post-Graduation Plans

Gianna plans to graduate from GMercyU in May 2024. Her goal is to attend dental school and is scheduled to take the Dental Admission Test in Summer 2023.

“My goal is to become a general dentist or an orthodontist who one day owns their own practice,” Gianna said.