A smiling person wearing a baseball cap, glasses, blue plaid long sleeve shirt standing near a lake

Candace (Candee) Williams (she/her), VG '24

Biography

Maryland

M.S. in Infectious Diseases and Global Health’24
BS Microbiology
University of Maryland College Park, 2018
Post Graduate Certifications Medical Lab Technician
Anne Arundel Community College, 2021

Why did you choose to pursue this degree, and why did you choose Cummings School of Veterinary Medicine to pursue this degree?

Hello! My name is Candace and I received by my BS in Microbiology from UMDCP. Post-graduation, I worked in Parasitology at Idexx while obtaining my ASCP Medical Laboratory Technician certification. Next, I worked in Microbiology at the University of Maryland Medical Center. These experiences helped me realize that I love all the gross stuff - from bacteria and viruses to helminths! 

I was attracted to the MS-IDGH program for its proximity to the molecular helminthology lab and because I am at an inflection point in my career – pursue my PhD in biomedicine or return to the clinical laboratory as technical specialist. I believe the program’s emphasis on preparing students for research and learning more about zoonotic diseases will help me decide. 

Beyond the lab, my interests include reading, hiking, and baking. I have one tortoiseshell cat that is currently residing with her cat-dad, my fiancé, in Maryland while awaiting our family reunion.