Georgetown College. Georgetown University.

Latoya Silverton

Latoya Silverton, originally from Trinidad, is currently a junior in the college and works as an undergraduate research assistant in Dr. YuYe Tong’s lab.

Silverton joined the lab because she “found the work that they conducted on nanoparticles, particularly the electrochemistry, to be quite interesting.”  She enjoys seeing chemistry in action, and “nanotechnology is particularly exciting, because it is a considerably new, yet broad field.  In Dr. Tong’s lab, we know that our contributions, though they may seem quite small, matter very much to the scientific community.”  

“My work specifically involves the characterization of ligand interactions with silver nanoparticles. It is sometimes quite tedious and even frustrating when the desired result is not met, or when an experiment deviates for some unknown reason. However, I believe I will feel a sense of accomplishment many years from now, to look back and know that our lab has made a worthwhile contribution to the nano-science world.”

Silverton has decided to write her honors thesis under Dr. Tong’s guidance not only because she likes the research, but because of the healthy and amicable group culture of the Tong Lab.

While excelling at her work in the lab, Silverton makes time for her other passions, namely advocacy and literacy. During a summer internship at a civil rights law firm in New York, she participated in the Courtroom Advocate Project, serving as an advocate in the courtroom for battered women; she has also been a mentor and tutor for teenagers; and most recently, she has individually started a project for the promotion of literacy and advocacy called the Write for Rights Campaign (not to be confused with Amnesty International’s “Write for Rights”), which kicks off with a Summer Writing Workshop at Duke Ellington High School, and will continue with a fund-raising initiative in the Fall.  “I believe advocacy is an accomplishment because you can help those who cannot help themselves,” says Silverton, who is also a member of the National Society for Collegiate Scholars.

Silverton plans to attend medical school to pursue a joint degree in Medicine and Public Health.  After that, she intends to return to her island homeland and give back to her community by working to improve Trinidad’s healthcare system.  Her goal is to advocate for preventative medicine and quality care for the poor.

“The knowledge, analytical skills and group culture obtained from Dr. Tong’s lab will remain with me as a guide in these future pursuits.”

In her free time, Silverton enjoys creative writing, listening to music, and traveling.  “I love relaxing on the beach.”

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