In August, Abby Calixto starts her new job as a scientist for Eli Lilly and Company in the Manufacturing Science Department in Indianapolis.
“I am so excited to be crossing the finish line of my undergraduate years here at Illinois,” said Calixto, a Class of 2026 chemistry graduate. “What once felt like never-ending studying, exams, and projects has all passed in the blink of an eye. It feels rewarding knowing that my hard work has paid off in the end. I am proud to reach this milestone of becoming an Illinois alum and looking forward to what’s to come.”
Four years ago, Calixto was a “nervous freshman” when she joined C2—Chemical Sciences through Community, a group that brings together undergraduate and graduate students in the chemical sciences to create a community that fosters professional development through mentoring and research.
Calixto said the group provided a casual environment where Latino, Black, and Native American students studying chemistry or chemical engineering could come together to share a meal and listen to a roundtable presentation about internships, networking, research, and graduate school.
“This organization had a major impact on my education at Illinois and helped demystify a lot of things for me early on as a first-generation college student,” said Calixto, who was matched with a graduate student mentor, Marya Ornelas.
With her help, Calixto joined a research lab her freshman year and met regularly with Ornelas at coffee shops to talk about how she was doing in school and to seek advice for anything.
“She was an awesome mentor professionally and as a person,” Calixto said. “She always made me feel capable of achieving my goals but also reminded me not to put too much pressure on myself and make time to destress.”
In the chemistry research lab of Prof. Jeff Chan, Calixto worked on the organic synthesis of a fluorophore and sugar trigger for the development of Carbon-13 labeled probes used for early ovarian cancer screening using beta-gal detection.
“In this lab, I was able to learn a lot of new organic synthesis, NMR, and purification skills and was able to apply what I learned in class lectures to a real situation,” said Calixto, who expressed her gratitude for the experience. “It definitely put me in a better position when applying for jobs in the pharmaceutical industry.”
Organic Chemistry II taught by Senior Lecturer Smitha Pillai was Calixto’s favorite class as an undergraduate.
“She is an amazing lecturer,” Calixto said. “We did a project at the end of the class, diving deep into the mechanics of a drug of our choice. My project on lidocaine got me more interested in the kinetics and biochemistry side of drug delivery and reinforced the mechanisms I had learned in lecture.”
The summer after her sophomore year, Calixto got involved with the Summer Undergraduate Research Experience in Toxicology (SURETox) Program, because she was interested in pursuing a career in toxicology at the time. She said she learned a lot about developmental toxicology research.
“I consider that summer a major highlight of my time as a student at Illinois in part for my growth as a researcher, but mostly because of the amazing people I was surrounded with,” she said.
Her cohort of six undergraduate students grew incredibly close that summer, she said, exploring cafes on campus together, trying new restaurants on Green Street, swimming at the ARC pool whenever they had a chance, and they even ran a 5k together in the rain.
Calixto said there are always so many fun events happening on the Illinois campus, and she will miss going to events with friends or “just chilling at someone’s apartment.”
“Caffe Paradiso’s strawberry matcha lattes and bagels on a warm sunny day will also always have a special place in my heart,” she said.
Calixto found a sense of community in other groups, too, including the Alpha Chi Sigma (AXS) Professional Chemistry Fraternity, Cosmetic Chemistry Club, and Encouraging Tomorrow’s Chemists (ETC).
She encourages younger students at Illinois to try new things, even if it’s scary.
“The idea of being involved in research at an R1 research university may seem intimidating for an incoming student, but Illinois makes it more accessible than you think to start working in a lab. Illinois also has many campus resources and corporate connections that make for endless opportunities for any student.”
Calixto said she is so grateful to be reaching this educational milestone.
“Being a first-generation student, my parents have sacrificed so much for me to be where I am today. Their support throughout my college career has been a large part of my success, and I am so proud to be graduating from Illinois,” she said.