In-Person Program

EUREKA! counselors are Honors students who provide care and support for the program participants on a daily basis, while also serving as role models on and off campus. Get to know the 2025 counselors below!

Hello, everyone! My name is Alayna Khoja and I am the Head Counselor for the 2025 in-person EUREKA! program. I am a rising sophomore from Fort Mill, South Carolina and I am pursuing a major in genetics and a minor in psychology. During my time in the 2024 in-person EUREKA! program, I worked with Dr. Sehorn and the College of Science on DNA repair and the specific proteins that work to stabilize our DNA. I have continued with the Sehorn Lab and plan to stay with the lab in the future. In addition to participating in research, I am an Honors Ambassador and a member of Clemson Crew.

My time with EUREKA! allowed me to acclimate to campus before the start of my first year. I had always been interested in research and had participated in research during high school. EUREKA! offered me a way to get into a lab within my major and get a head start with hands-on experience. I started the fall semester in a research lab with connections to graduate students, professors, and upperclassmen. I knew where my classes were located and understood the areas around and outside of campus. However, the most important part for me revolved around the community I built over the course of the summer. I met like-minded students in the Honors college with whom I spent quality time. We shared our research, aspirations, and past experiences and made lasting memories. Many of these peers are among my closest friends and will continue to be in the future. I strongly encourage incoming Honors students to apply for EUREKA! due to its immensely positive impact on my first-year experience. If you have any questions about my experience or the program overall feel free to reach out. I am excited to meet our 2025 cohort!

Hello, everyone! My name is Sophia Camps, and I am a rising sophomore born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania and raised in Mount Pleasant, South Carolina. I am working towards a major in materials science and engineering as well as a minor in chemistry. During my time in the 2024 EUREKA! program, I worked with Dr. David Jacobson as well as his graduate assistants from the chemistry department. Our research focused on producing a new sample of functional protein to use as an attachment between DNA and RNA molecules. These molecules can be experimented on using Atomic Force Microscopy (AFM) and analyzed for a better understanding of the most essential organic molecules of biology. Even though I did not continue my research into the school year, I was able to learn important laboratory skills and writing techniques that I will continue to carry with me. In addition, I am also involved in Student Affiliates of the American Chemical Society (SAACS), Honors Peer Mentors as a mentee, Swing Dance Club, and Line Dance Club.

Initially, I was not sure if I wanted to participate in EUREKA! but I can say now that it was the perfect way for me to start college. I enjoyed getting a head start on familiarizing myself with campus and meeting new, like-minded people. Being on campus during the summer is also an incredibly fun experience that not everyone gets to have. I made some of my strongest friendships during this program and am grateful that I was able to transition to life in college with them. Participating in this program is one of the best decisions I have made while being at Clemson and shaped my experience as a student and researcher in such a positive way. I am excited to get to know this year’s participants and spend another summer at Clemson. If you are only slightly interested in EUREKA! I still encourage you to apply. If you have any questions, please reach out!

Hello, my name is Charlie Bogdanski. I am a rising sophomore biochemistry major minoring in chemistry and genetics. I am from Simpsonville, South Carolina (right outside of Greenville) and I enjoy many things such as video games, running, and spending time in the lab. Last summer I was a EUREKA! participant and I worked in Dr. Sehorn’s lab studying homologous repair of damaged DNA often found in cancers. I remain in his lab, and I joined another lab on campus in which we study the microbiomes on salamanders found primarily in North and South Carolina. Beyond my lab work, I spend time as a member of the Science Student Advisory Board (SciSAB) in which we work to make the College of Science even better. EUREKA! has given me the opportunity to know what research is like and it has helped to prepare me for my dreams of getting a PhD.

EUREKA! was an excellent opportunity to give me experience in a lab at Clemson, but more importantly, it gave me a network of individuals that I can always rely on. I applied to EUREKA! as an incoming first-year student thinking it would just be another extracurricular, but it was so much more. Countless nights were spent with fellow EUREKANs getting to know each other and most of us have similar goals in life. I never enter a classroom in which I don’t know someone else due to the connections I made with my peers over the summer at Clemson. I know we will have a wonderful EUREKA! together and I am excited to get to know all of you and help in any way that I can!