Sierra Rose Mosher

How would you describe your college experience?

When I began my college career I had high hopes of becoming a forensic scientist, just as you see on the CSI TV shows but I was under the impression of the “CSI Effect” where my vision was skewed by the portrayal of the shows and I was not prepared for reality. I had high ACT scores in my science and math portions, which opened the door for me to simultaneously take higher level of biology and chemistry my freshman year here at MTSU. The small town I grew up in was not heavily focused in STEM and that led to some challenges for me in these areas my first year of college. After making my first ever and only “C” grade in both biology and chemistry I reevaluated my future path because I felt that my strength was not in these types of sciences.

Nonetheless, I found my loophole! I switched my major to criminal justice where I was able to expand my horizons and ultimately study forensic science through the law enforcement investigation side and develop a newfound passion for forensic anthropology. Through this newly evolved passion I was able to join an elite 10 person student team led by Board Certified Forensic Anthropologist Dr. Hugh Berryman. The team’s purpose was to assist law enforcement agencies in the recovery and documentation of skeletal remains from crime scenes.

Being a part of the Forensic Anthropology Search and Recovery (FASR) team was one of my most amazing experiences of my college career; right alongside my fondest memories with being a member of the WISTEM Center. Luckily for myself my involvement with WISTEM and the Forensic Institute for Research and Education (F.I.R.E.) overlapped with one another. During my years involved in both WISTEM and F.I.R.E led me to meet remarkable people in the STEM world.

After battling tough courses and working 3 jobs while simultaneously taking over 15 credit hours each semester, I accomplished my 4 year goal to complete my bachelors of science directly after high school. I knew that through my amazing experience of college, I would always have a phenomenal support team. Walking across the stage in Murphy Center as Cum Laude with members of WISTEM, FASR, F.I.R.E, and my family cheering me on gave me the confidence I needed for my future.

When did you know that you wanted to major in a STEM discipline?

As long as I can remember I had always wanted to help people. At a young age my Nana Polly had her leg amputated, so I became a helpful nurse to her. For a while I had thought of becoming a nurse, but it wasn’t meant for me. Our activities of course were limited so we would watch CSI for most of our evenings together. I loved watching the crime shows with her and she said that she believed I could do it and excel at it. It wa