Helen Unger, a graduating senior renowned for her research in biology, was recognized on December 16th, 2012 as one of Yeshiva University’s eight “Points of Light.” Unger, hailing from Cleveland, Ohio, took a few minutes to sit down with The Observer and reflect on this experience.
She graciously sat behind the cash register working at the 29th street cafeteria store from 7 PM until midnight as we chatted. “Still gotta pay the bills!” she laughed.
We spent a few minutes discussing the gala affair (held at the Waldorf-Astoria Hotel), at which the eight “Points of Light”—who, in the words of President Joel, “shine brightly” as the “exemplars of the past, present and future of Yeshiva University”—were honored in front of approximately 500 guests. Bedecked in a flowing purple gown, Unger was invited on stage by President Richard Joel to light the symbolic first candle of the menorah alongside her research mentor, Dr. Marina Holz.
Just a few highlights from Unger’s impressive resume include working at Sloan-Kettering, where she investigated cytokine interactions of Natural Killer cells as part of the 2012 Summer Undergraduate Research Program (SURP), interning at Bar-Ilan University to investigate alternate genetic expression in of the bacterium P.aeruginosa, and working in the Department of Otolaryngology at Johns Hopkins School of Medicine to research the epigenetic regulation of prostate cancer.
Although Unger’s presence as a young scientist has graced labs all around the world, her first—and one of her longest—research involvements has been at the laboratory in her own backyard: Yeshiva University. Under the esteemed tutelage of Dr. Marina Holz, Unger has been studying the molecular mechanisms of breast cancer for three academic years. She started her research experience within a month of coming to the Stern campus, at age seventeen. “One of the coolest things about Stern, and one of the reasons I’m so happy that I came here, is that the faculty are just so approachable,” she commented. For my benefit, she described her work in laymen’s terms: “In our research, we’re attempting to answer two questions about breast cancer: What drives breast cancer proliferation and survival? And what makes it resistant to conventional therapies? Once we answer these questions and realize what’s abnormal about these breast cancer tumors, we can design therapies, drugs, and treatments to fix it.”
The recipient of the 2010 Toby Eagle Memorial Scholarship in Cancer Biology, as well as the American Association for Cancer Research’s Thomas J. Bardos Award, Unger has published her notable findings in prestigious scientific journals, such as Oncogene, and presented her work at the 2012 AACR Annual Meeting. “I love research,” Unger explains, “because I really like the idea of asking a question and devising a plan in order to be able to answer the question yourself.”
Unger is also the first ever YU student to receive the Thomas Bardos Science Education Award for Undergraduate Students.
Though Unger, in my eyes at least, seems like the next Albert Einstein, I immediately sense her down-to-earth attitude and friendly nature within just a few minutes of observing her interact with the myriad of students craving midnight snacks. I silently watched as the energetic girl in a denim skirt and no-nonsense ponytail sat with her laptop at the cashier’s desk, chatting with customers.
“I love your new hair color,” Unger complimented a blonde friend, and they engaged in animated chatter as Unger rang up her two sodas, gum, and some candy. Another girl commented on the ring glinting on Unger’s finger, and it is only then that I realized that Unger was, among other noteworthy things, engaged. I congratulated her enthusiastically, and she gave me a wry grin. “President Joel decided to announce my engagement on stage in front of all the dignitaries last night, and he especially remembered to proudly mention that it was to a YU alum.” She rolled her eyes but smiled. Her fiancé, she explained, is a Yeshiva University graduate who is currently completing his Masters in Computer Science at Columbia University.
Overhearing the interview-turned-roundtable conversation, another shopper stops to join in. “I saw you in the paper,” she calls out to Unger. “With your picture and everything!” Unger, clearly not realizing the extent of her fame even within the walls of YU, stops ringing up the girl’s candy and widens her eyes. “Are you serious? Really? Where?” The girl nods, whips out her smartphone, and starts reading from the article on the YU blog (“Points of Light Shine”) detailing the notable honorees at the Chanukah dinner. Unger is incredulous. “Wow,” she said. “Oh my gosh; is this on the YU homepage?!” Another petite sophomore nods vigorously. “When I read it, I was like, ‘Hey! This is Unger from the caf store!’ You’re famous!”
Hoping to re-grasp some semblance of a formal interview, I ask Unger to tell me a little about her background. Hailing from Cleveland, Ohio, Unger grew up in a Reform environment until she became Orthodox on her own in high school. As an early-admissions “true” freshman, her new religious values were in harmony with that of the Stern student body and administration, an environment, which she was happy to be part of.
“I wanted to go somewhere where I could be myself and be more Jewish,” she says of her decision to choose Yeshiva University. In fact, to her, her remarkable journey as a baalat teshuva is equally—if not more—significant in her life than her many scientific accomplishments. Unger—modestly covered in a maroon sweater, black shell, and skirt, explained, “When I came to Stern, I barely knew how to read Hebrew. Now, though, it’s so empowering for me to sit in class and be able to discuss the scholarly disparities between Rambam and Raviya, and Bavli and Yerushalmi, when I barely knew an alef from a bet just a few years ago.”
I then asked about her favorite classes at Stern. “In the Judaic Studies department,” she responded, “’Women in Halacha.’ I learned so much about halachic discourse and the disparities between chachmei Ashkenaz and chachmei Sefarad, so it was an incredibly eye-opening and enriching experience.”
Her favorite secular class, on the other hand, is Organic Chemistry.
Unger hopes to pursue her PhD in Molecular Biology, and thus far has been accepted to three prestigious New York City programs. Unger and her fiancé, to be wed this summer, will surely have another big decision to make when the decision deadlines roll around, but there is no doubt that any and ever of Unger’s options are admirable.
We look forward to see Unger’s greatness flourish.