The hands-on lab experiences and the close personal interactions with the biology professors at Pacific made it a clear and easy decision...

If you had asked him when he was a second grader in Tillamook, Oregon, Tony Bates would have told you that he was going to be a brain surgeon.

But Tony, who plays piano, bass, and guitar, started college as a music performance major. It wasn’t until he transferred to Pacific University and enrolled in Biology 202, General Biology, that he returned to his childhood dream of studying medicine. “The hands-on lab experiences and the close personal interactions with the biology professors at Pacific made it a clear and easy decision” he explains.

Tony has been doing research with Professor David Scholnick, studying the effects of lowered oxygen levels and hemoglobin on metabolism in western fence lizards. His hard work and dedication won him a summer research position and took him to a Murdock conference to present his work.

This winter, Tony escaped the cold in Oregon by joining biology Professors Pam Lopez and Ed Alkaslassy in Costa Rica to research anoline lizards. Amazed by the abundance of wildlife he saw, Tony is already planning a return trip.

Sometimes, Tony is surprised by how much he has changed since arriving at Pacific. “Before I came to Pacific, my ability to write papers and speak in public was poor at best.” But with dedicated teachers, lots of practice, and the high expectations of his department, Tony now writes with ease and can speak in public “and barely break a sweat.”

Although Tony is focused on medical school, he has not given up his other passions. He is a snow boarder, skate boarder, and long boarder. And his band, We Ride At Dawn is just finishing their first CD and starting to book gigs in Portland.

Tony recognizes that he has become more focused and more dedicated to his studies while at Pacific. At the same time, he appreciates the importance of intellectual exploration. “If I was giving advice to new students,” he explains, “I would tell them to take a wide range of classes, to try out different things.” This, afterall, is how one becomes a piano-bass-guitar-playing brain surgeon.

Click here to listen to a song by We Ride At Dawn

Pacific welcomes transfer students and first-year students who are ready to explore. You can arrange a campus visit by contacting the Admissions Office.