Theatre major Weilong Li accepted to Master’s program in Genetic Counseling

Congratulations to Theatre major Weilong Li (Spring ’16) on being accepted to Northwestern University’s Master’s program in Genetic Counseling!

Congratulations to Theatre major Weilong Li (Spring ’16) on being accepted to Northwestern University’s Master’s program in Genetic Counseling!

Weilong graduated with a BS in Biological Sciences (concentration in Cell Biology and Molecular Genetics) from UMD in December 2015, and he has stayed around for an extra semester to finish up his Theatre degree.

While Theatre and Biological Sciences may seem worlds apart, Weilong attributes his interest in genetic counseling to his experiences in theatre. He says that TDPS helped him grow as both an artist and as a person, and he became more aware of how to develop his communication skills through theatre practice. He says that genetic counseling is as much a science field as it is an interpersonal one—it is about helping people first and foremost. Genetic counselors and theatre practitioners are similar in that they both seek out ways to communicate a specific message to other people.

After graduate school, Weilong plans on working with patients in a clinic as a genetic counselor. He is also interested in researching how genetic counselors convey information to patients—how that message is communicated, not just to experts and scientists, but to the community at large.

Congratulations Weilong, and keep us posted on the incredible work you will continue doing in grad school and beyond!

By Kate Spanos