Top student faces career choices

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MARQUETTE - In his hands he carefully balances a glass bottle that contains an orange liquid.

"What I have growing here is cells from a human brain tumor. That originally came out of someone's brain," said Andrew Sikkema, a biochemistry major at Northern Michigan University. "We're trying to cure brain cancer."

Sikkema, a Marquette native, has been making a name for himself in NMU's chemistry department. This past school year he both won the department's Alchemist Award and the Analytical Chemistry Award.

"These awards go to the student with the top grades in a year of organic chemistry and a year of analytical chemistry, respectively," said Suzanne Williams, chemistry department head. "Winning these awards is a big deal within the chemistry department here at NMU."

Williams added that it is quite unique for an undergraduate to win two awards in one year for two different fields of chemistry.

"I don't remember that happening before and I have been here for 17 years now," she said. "Andy has the potential to go on and become an outstanding scientist or medical doctor, so he has a bright future awaiting."

Sikkema, 20, said he was pleased to win the awards and that he knew he'd win at least one but not the other.

"I didn't know I won the second one until the award ceremony," he said. "They kind of jumped it on me."

The junior said - even in high school - he always enjoyed the sciences.

"It's a challenge," he said. "It's a lot of creative problem solving."

As for his future, Sikkema said he is unsure what he wants to do for a career.

"I either want to pursue a Phd in something or go to med school," he said.

But for now, he enjoys his research in the biology lab and taking classes such as bio-chemistry, cell and molecular biology and human physiology.

"Kind of a light schedule," he said.