Sydney Brooksby BS’25

As I entered college, I was in renal failure and had two choices: Return home and enjoy the rest of my declining life, or make one last effort to achieve my childhood dream. I chose the latter. I received a kidney autotransplant, picked up my textbook, and asked myself this question: “How far are you willing to go?”

My disease drove me to pursue a degree in biology. It’s been incredible to exercise my own ambition as a student by drafting a gene-editing research proposal to mitigate the effects of my own disease, Turner Syndrome (TS). I was born with Mosaic TS, a genetic mutation that causes one of a female’s X chromosomes to be incomplete or completely missing.

Studying genomics eliminated the uncertainty of my condition. I was able to take authority over my own health care. It made every surgery, procedure, and supplemental diagnosis easier to comprehend and overcome. My favorite biology course has been Gene Expression, where I learned how to translate my excitement for genomics and genetic engineering into a research proposal. With chromosomal mutations like Turner Syndrome, recovering lost genetic information is at the core of any real solution. My proposal outlined how gene-editing technologies—such as CRISPR-Cas9, homology-directed repair (HDR), and mRNA delivery—could be used to “copy and paste” missing genetic content onto a fragmented X chromosome.

From 2018 to 2022, I competed as a member of the USA Archery RED [Regional Elite Development] Team. During college, I focused on strength training, my health, and academics. Now my goal is to qualify for the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics. I hope to one day attend medical school and specialize in hepatobiliary (kidney/liver) transplant surgery, with a supplemental focus in chromosomal abnormalities. What I would say to my freshman self and undergraduates beginning their journey at the U: People only get brave when they have nothing to lose. Be brave anyway.

Sydney Brooksby is the recipient of the Academic Merit Scholarship, Science Research Initiative (SRI) Scholarship, SRI-CAP Scholarship, Homecoming Royalty 2023 Scholarship, LJBJ Finishing Fund Scholarship, and the Gary and Ann Crocker Endowed Science Scholarship.