Jumping Right In
Shields applied to Amherst on a whim while on vacation in Hawaii with his family. Sitting on the beach, Shields penned an essay on genetics and submitted it the day before the deadline. He still believes that it was this essay that secured his acceptance to Amherst. According to Shields, the deciding factor in his choice to enroll at Amherst was the fact that his two favorite comic book artists, Bill Amend and Darby Connelly, are both Amherst graduates. Four years and a few months later, Shields is joining them on the roster of the College’s alumni, having completed his college education with a senior thesis on a genetic mutation in worms.
Shields’ first year began on the fourth floor of South Dormitory, where he forged lasting bonds of friendship with his roommate and fellow residents. His RC contributed favorably to the dynamics of the floor, and Shields still keeps in touch with him. One of his fondest memories of his first year at Amherst was throwing rotting pumpkins out of the fourth floor windows into the dumpster below.
Academically, freshman year introduced Shields to the discipline of sociology, one of his two majors. He loved his class with Professor of Sociology Ronald Lembo, which evokes memories of frequent discussions about the rap artist, Eminem and, because he was from Detroit, constant questions as to whether he lived on 8 Mile. Shields also joined the Gospel Choir, in which he participated until his senior year.
Shields also became a tour guide and he still enjoys showing off the Amherst campus. “Being a tour guide was the best hour of my week all four years of college,” Shields explained. He has given tours to the man who initiated the tour guide program at Amherst, the president of Rwanda and the minister of education from Singapore.
The summer after his freshman year, Shields remained in Amherst to work in a biochemistry lab for 10 weeks. The extra time in Amherst gave him a chance to explore the area for the first time. He enjoyed learning to cook for himself, as well as visiting friends on the weekends in nearby places like New York and Cape Cod.
Shields spent his sophomore year in Mayo Smith Dormitory. This proved to be a growing experience, as he found himself living in close proximity to a group of rambunctious seniors, one of whom blasted country music at 10 a.m. every Sunday. Although this was a nuisance at first, Shields soon developed an appreciation for country music and became friends with the seniors. Shields also sought to expand his horizons that year by joining the sailing team.
Taking the
Hippocratic Track
Shields also took his first class with Chair of Biology Caroline Goutte, entitled Genetic Analysis of Biological Processes. Goutte convinced him to become a biology major and later became his thesis advisor. Together, Shields’ passion for biology and his love of interacting with others motivated him to become pre-med at the end of his sophomore year.
As part of his journey to become a doctor, Shields spent his sophomore summer volunteering in Thailand through an organization called Global Service Corps. He lived with a host family, with three brothers named Blue, Basketball and Benz, on an army base in Thailand. For the first month, Shields taught at local schools, and spent the remainder of his time there working in a hospital. His experience at the hospital was very hands-on—on his very first day, he scrubbed-in on a hysterectomy, and by the end of the month, was acting as a routine scrub nurse for the surgeons. Shields’ experience in the Thai hospital reaffirmed his aspiration to become a doctor and kindled within him a passion for surgery, which he hopes to pursue in medical school.
During the fall semester of his junior year, Shields continued his contributions to the sailing team and the gospel choir. He became an economics grader and a lab teaching assistant for Goutte along with his friend, Linda McEvoy ’08. Because their lab took place on Friday afternoons, the two friends felt it necessary to provide their students with weekly treats that were relevant to that afternoon’s lab. After the substrate-enzyme lab, for example, they distributed different kinds of Nerds to the class in order to demonstrate the biological phenomenon.
A Formative Time in
Africa
In the spring Shields went to Senegal with the Wells College program, along with 15 other students from schools such as Cornell and Brown Universities. He wanted to study sociology in developing countries and to improve the French that he learned in his first year at Amherst. His companions ended up being some of his greatest teachers; they each brought books on development, sociology and foreign aid, which they would discuss regularly over lunch.
Shields used his spare time abroad to take drum and dance lessons, participate in Muslim pilgrimages and vacation in places such as Gambia. He learned about the Senegalese culture from his host family, which consisted of a 19-year-old brother, with whom he shared a bed, and two younger sisters. According to Shields, his hosts—the mother and father in particular—were “crazy.” One Saturday the family was eating quietly when Nelly’s song, “Dilemma,” came on the radio. Immediately, the entire family, including the grandmother, jumped up and started singing, rapping and dancing. Shields did not quite know how to react, so he just joined right in. Once the song ended, they all sat back down and resumed what they had been doing.
Life with this family was as educational as it was eccentric. His host father refused to speak any language other than the native Wolof, which helped Shields tremendously in learning the language.
Once his program in Senegal ended, Shields and a friend hitchhiked on a train carrying iron freight across the desert to Mauritania to spend three weeks eating camel, trekking through the Sahara and camping out in the desert. “My time in Mauritania was the best vacation I’ve ever taken,” said Shields.
He then returned to Senegal for the summer to work with a non-government organization called Development in Gardening (DIG). He volunteered to build a garden at a hospital for HIV patients in Ziguinchor and became very close with some of the patients. Afterwards, he took three weeks to travel through Europe, visiting close friends in France, Germany and Switzerland. One of his favorite memories of the trip was the spectacular firework show that he stumbled upon on Swiss Independence Day in Basel.
Chair of Physics Arthur Zajonc spoke for many of those who know Shields in describing his reaction to Shields’ experiences abroad. “I was deeply impressed,” commented Zajonc, “when I heard of the range of situations he sought out, some in quite dangerous regions. Ryan not only possesses considerable intelligence, but is clearly a courageous and compassionate young man as well.”
Senior Year and Beyond
During his senior year, Shields, who had admired his freshman RC, got the chance to become one himself. Shields said that being an RC has forced him to grow up over the course of the year. He loves his residents and feels like a father to each one of them. Not surprisingly, the loving sentiments are mutual. His charges in the basement of Charles Pratt Dormitory respect him for his commitment to humanitarian causes and enjoy his engaging personality, unique hairstyle and prodigious skill at the “Soulja Boy” dance. Shields’ dancing talent made him a welcome addition to DASAC during his senior year. This array of talent and friendliness has led residents like Kara Thornton ’11 to designate him “the best RC in the NESCAC.”
Academically, Shields devoted the better part of his senior year to his thesis project, working long hours in the lab while blasting techno music. One time, a fellow student poked his head in the door and asked, “Are you researching or clubbing in here?” Shields’ thesis, entitled “The C-elegans sao-1 (ikl) Mutation: Characterization of Temperature Sensitive Embryonic Lethality,” investigates a genetic mutation in certain small worms. These worms are perfectly healthy at room temperature, but once the temperature hits 26 degrees Celsius, they only lay dead eggs. Shields’ thesis explored why this occurs and found that it is due to a defect in the notch pathway. The gene was discovered just five years ago, and Ryan is the first person to experiment with the temperature sensitivity of it. Although it was a struggle at times, Shields found it to be an incredibly rewarding experience.
This spring, Shields was rewarded with the prestigious Thomas J. Watson Fellowship. The Watson Fellowship imparted Shields $25,000 to travel for a year and execute a project of his own design. Beginning July 15, Shields will spend four months each in Rwanda, Bosnia and Cambodia conducting sociological research on genocide, while also focusing on health care. When asked how he conceived the project, Shields explained, “Unbeknown to the Watson Foundation, I actually picked the places I wanted to go before coming up with my project. I knew I really wanted to go to Rwanda, for the scenery, and Cambodia, to visit Angkor Wat, and I had never traveled in Eastern Europe. So what do all those places have in common? Genocide. Thankfully, after doing research into the topic, I now passionately want to pursue my project. I think I have thoroughly convinced myself that I would not want to be studying anything else—no matter how depressing it is—and surprisingly, would love to somehow make this into a career path.”
Following his research abroad, Shields also hopes to pursue a joint medical degree with a Masters in public policy. Shields feels privileged by his Amherst education and compelled to harness his knowledge to improve the lives of the less fortunate. “My experiences have illuminated the stark contrast between my life and the lives of others,” said Shields. “Thus, I have decided to dedicate my life to extending my privilege to those who truly lack the basic human right of health.”