From desert to desert: How I got to KAUST, and how KAUST got me to where I am today

By Melissa Pappas, MS ‘17

Growing up in Arizona, a state of landlocked desert, I was told that a marine biologist was not a realistic job and I should probably think of a backup plan. I clearly didn’t listen!

My parents, on the other hand, were supportive of my interests and gave me the gift of SCUBA diving lessons when I was 16. After learning how to dive I was obsessed, and my top diving destination became the Red Sea. I had seen photos of the colorful reefs and imagined it would be the best diving in the world.

Pursuing a passion for marine biology

In response to my doubters, I left Arizona to study marine biology in Florida. After taking courses in marine biology, marine geology, and marine invertebrate ecology, I was inspired by supportive mentors at Eckerd College to continue my education. I started imagining myself as a college professor, inspiring future generations to be advocates for marine conservation, but I wasn’t exactly sure how to get there.

A few months before graduation, one of my favorite professors sent out an email listing job, internship and grad school opportunities; this email was my key to KAUST. Here is where I found the Visiting Student Research Program (VSRP), which advertised the opportunity for students to conduct marine science research in the Red Sea. Immediately, this got my attention and I applied solely to get the chance to dive the Red Sea. Little did I know that KAUST was going to provide me with so much more than beautiful diving.

Taking a professional leap

Although the decision to apply to the VSRP was clear, while waiting for the reply, I was asked many times by family and friends why I would want to go to Saudi Arabia as its miscommunicated image in the media concerned them. No doubt it would be challenging to move to this country in particular as a single woman, but my determination heavily outweighed any fear. While waiting to hear back from the VSRP, I was accepted for a marine biology teaching role at a local elementary school. Although that job was appealing, I couldn’t shake the “what if” feeling about KAUST and the Red Sea, so I did the only thing I knew how to do, and I emailed the professor directly. My passive hoping to be accepted turned into a proactive and persistent chain of emails with Dr. Mike Berumen.

After finding the lab page of the Reef Ecology Lab, I knew I needed to get in contact with this diverse team of scientists who worked on corals, fish, and even whale sharks

A part of me felt like an imposter, asking such a distinguished professor to accept me as an intern, bypassing the administrative review of my application, but Dr. Berumen emailed me back and considerately reviewed my application himself. From that point forward, he did everything he could to get me to KAUST, and from that point forward, I knew I had chosen a great advisor.

Once at KAUST, I made friends quickly, as new students attract a lot of social attention. I was personally delivered a bike to borrow, and lab colleagues gave me a tour around campus to make me feel welcome. Not ever being exposed to large universities, I really appreciated the close-knit community that KAUST and the VSRP provided.

KAUST – where dreams are made, and realized

After my first snorkel in the Red Sea, I fell in love with the giant clams and their fluorescent blue patterns.

I found out that clams, just like corals, have a relationship with microscopic algae, and I chose to study them during my internship. My research included many dives on the wonderfully accessible reefs at KAUST, where I would collect small pieces of mantle tissue from a diverse range of clams to bring back to the genetics lab. In the lab, I extracted DNA from the tissue and sequenced it to identify both the species of the clam and the species of the algae present. After refreshing my understanding of PCR through YouTube videos in the evenings, I’d come into the lab and always find someone willing to teach me something new. I loved conducting research and was able to publish my findings as my first first-author paper, a big achievement for someone with just a bachelor’s degree.

As I reached the end of the VSRP, Mike helped me apply to countless graduate programs and scholarships, always having my best interest in mind. In those moments, I could have never imagined a mentor doing anything less. I now know that Mike and many other advisors at KAUST truly want the best for their students, and that is not as common as it should be.

After returning to the US and finding it very difficult to secure a funded master’s program there, I realized KAUST was by far the best option. I applied to start my masters the following year, and planned to continue my work on giant clams.

The move wasn’t as easy as the first time. After a breakup and a death in the family, I came to KAUST as a master’s student very reserved. I resisted going to the icebreaker events for new students and did not feel comfortable making new friends. Fortunately, KAUST is a small community, and my lack of energy in friend-making did not hinder my social life. We started classes and I immediately connected with classmates that are still my best friends. The diversity of the KAUST community allowed me to connect with people from all types of backgrounds and adventure into new hobbies. I joined a volleyball team, took a ceramics class, was part of the Green Group, and then started my own group, The Art Perspective.

Bringing art and community to the world of science

Coming out of an emotionally challenging time, I grew so much through the creation of the arts program at such a STEM-focused university. I always loved art, but never thought I would lead an art club. I remember being surprised that some of the students didn’t know how to mix primary colors to create secondary colors, and I explained how to make green and purple many times. But I was also surprised at how successful the group became and how so many students were using it to find new friends and a better work-life balance. The Art Perspective became the fastest growing club that year and through it, my connection to the community became much stronger.

The Art Perspective also connected me to the Enrichment Office and its vision of bringing art and science together in these engaging events.

My appreciation for the Winter Enrichment Program (WEP) increased after taking the first “Science of Storytelling” course with a team of scientists and filmmakers who I am still in contact with today. Not aware what this course entailed, I walked into the classroom and thought I was in the wrong place. The class was just way too cool to fulfil a credit requirement for WEP. I thought ‘there is no way I can get course credit for something that is this much fun!’ Making videos about my research and telling science stories became one of my favorite things to do since taking the course, and I am so grateful that WEP introduced me to this passion.

Mixed in with all of the fun times were challenging times as well. I missed my family. I missed socializing in public (outside KAUST) without an abaya, and I missed the ability to be anonymous. KAUST creates a bubble, a micro-culture, that is so unique it is hard to describe it to anyone who hasn’t lived there. Yes, it’s beautiful, it’s modern, the financial stress is non-existent, but it can feel isolating from the real world, sometimes making you want to escape, fortunately our financial situation allows us to do so. Some of my best travels were while I was a student at KAUST. I travelled to Spain, Sri Lanka, and Oman, and after graduation, I travelled to Dubai and the Maldives. I had the funds to pay for a four-course dinner in Dubai for my whole family, who were invited to KAUST to see me graduate. After leaving KAUST, I had saved nearly half of my entire scholarship, which allowed me to take a break before pursuing my PhD.

Travel and financial freedom were great, but the thing that provided a much deeper benefit to my mental health was my connection to the community through the Art Perspective and the Enrichment Program. I never knew that by starting a club on campus I would find a real purpose at KAUST, and a part of my own personal and professional mission. I remember having to pass on my position as president of The Art Perspective. I made an announcement during one of our painting sessions to inspire students to consider the position. Without realizing it, I shared some of my more personal feelings around why The Art Perspective meant so much to me and how it could come to mean a lot to the next president. I felt so safe in the community that grew from injecting creativity into the student body, and I was able to talk to the entire group as close friends. Forming that community was a key in my personal growth at KAUST, and I am so happy I was able to provide that space for present and future students.

As a student at KAUST, pursue every opportunity 

Fostering human connection, joining art and science, and bringing science to the people are what I enjoy most. As a PhD student outside of KAUST, I miss the many great resources KAUST provides for students to pursue their big ideas, goals and aspirations. My advice: don’t take them for granted! 

As a science communicator and visionary, I have always dreamed of bringing the concept of WEP to other universities. Now, as a KAUST alum and writer for WEP and Alumni Affairs, I have found myself come full circle to the very place that inspired my career path.