Emanuel Tewolde didn’t have a second to relax. From the moment he set up his research poster at the Denman Research Forum, a steady stream of visitors came to him with questions.

He handled it all like a pro and was awarded a Denman runner-up honor for his research, which examined awareness gaps in central Ohio African American smokers to a proposed menthol cigarette ban.

Following that experience, he jetted to the International Society for Research on Nicotine and Tobacco Conference in New Orleans, where he presented about two research studies he took part in as a student in the Min-Ae Song Lab. He then successfully defended his research thesis capstone project.

All in all, an impressive spring before he graduates in May. But instead of taking credit, Emanuel gives it all to his Ohio State mentors.

“Research changed the trajectory of my college career, it’s become the end-all for me,” says Emanuel, a public health major on a pre-med track. “In undergraduate, mentorship is everything. Your mentor is the reason you fall in love with research or you don’t.”

Emanuel spent the past two years in the Song Lab through the Marc-T34 program, which allowed him to become immersed in research, participating in the Menthol Ban Project, studying the effects of cigarettes and awareness.

Within Song’s lab, Emanuel learned the rigors of research, participated in various studies and was given opportunities to present about the lab’s work while receiving a publication credit.

“It’s all because of Dr. Song, she very much she puts in the work for her undergraduates,” Emanuel says. “She didn’t just tell me what to do and I did it, she explained why we were doing it and how it would help me later. The research wasn’t just for herself and the furtherance of her lab, but for my future and the future of my career.

“She was definitely a very great mentor. Both of my mentors were great mentors, in fact.”

His work in the Song Lab was a bit of a continuation of research from his sophomore year under the guidance of Ahmad El Hellani, also part of the Menthol Ban Project. Tewolde found El Hellani’s lab through the CREATES Undergraduate Program (Cancer Research Experience for the Advancement and Training of Emerging Scientists).

“Dr. El Hellani did a lot to immerse me in the project and other projects in his lab,” Emanuel says. “Even when it came to presenting, I learned so much. He genuinely became a good friend, it was a great experience.”

Tewolde went on to gain a research internship at Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston and recently was accepted to the American Cancer Society postbaccalaureate program for cancer researchers, which he will participate in during his gap years before attending medical school. His goal is to become a doctor who conducts public health-related research. 

“Because I was gifted with such great mentorship early in my college career, it’s made me want to pursue it in the future as a doctor,” he says. “I want to be heavily involved in clinic but I also want to be working in public health-related research about issues that impact my patients.”

Emanuel on his Ohio State experience: “It’s been nothing short of amazing. The opportunities on this campus are limitless, whether it’s internships, study abroad, whatever your interests are. And the faculty in the College of Public Health are very accessible, easy to talk to, always willing to help.

His advice to students: “Never leave any stone unturned. Apply for everything you’re interested in, don’t hold yourself back because you might be nervous you won’t get in. You don’t necessarily need to do everything but give everything a chance. And when you find what you like, stick with it, and be consistent because that’s the key to everything. Stay consistent with what you love, push through the difficult times and in the end, you’ll love that you stuck with it.”