Where will St. Mike’s seniors go next? Spotlight on Bernadette Lesieur ’25

Bernadette Lesieur ’25

As we near Commencement for the Saint Michael’s College Class of 2025, we are highlighting where our seniors plan to go next and how they’re hoping to use the knowledge they gained at St. Mike’s.

Physics major and Biology minor Bernadette Lesieur ’25 has made the most of available opportunities within the science departments at St. Mike’s, both inside and outside the classroom. Beyond academics, Lesieur also made the most of her student experience at St. Mike’s as a member of the women’s soccer team and as an employee and CORE Team Leader of MOVE (Mobilization of Volunteer Efforts). 

Lesieur recently shared how her time at Saint Michael’s shaped her goals and prepared her for what comes next in a Q&A. 

Saint Michael’s College: What are your career/education plans after graduating from Saint Michael’s College?  

Bernadette Lesieur: After graduating from Saint Michael’s College, I will be continuing my education at Louisiana State University in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, in August, where I will be working towards my master’s degree in medical physics.

SMC: How did Saint Michael’s College support you to get to this point? 

BL: Saint Michael’s College supported me in many ways to get to this point. The Physics program here pushed me to work through complicated problems, to pursue and perform intriguing research projects, and to apply my knowledge from the classroom to my future career. The Career Education Center helped me with many of my applications for research opportunities over the summer and for getting into multiple graduate schools as well. My soccer team at St. Mike’s created an incredible community for me to learn how to balance time, work through adversity, and work as a team. MOVE supported me by helping me learn how to be a leader and how to communicate with others. Being a Peer Tutor helped me learn how to explain difficult topics to others in a way that helps them understand the material better. Finally, Campus Ministry also taught me how to lead others and how to stay true to myself and my beliefs. 

I am confident that all of these qualities that I learned from being a part of these different activities and programs while at Saint Michael’s College truly helped me prepare for graduate school and helped me get into a great graduate program like LSU.

Bernadette Lesieur ’25 balancing academics and athletics. (Photo by Christina Cummings ’25)

SMC: What will you take with you into post-grad life from your education at Saint Michael’s? 

BL: The many activities that I was a part of while at St. Mike’s really formed me into the person I am today. The many amazing friends, roommates, teammates, professors, and faculty that I have met over the past four years will stay with me for the rest of my life as well!

SMC: What are you most looking forward to after graduation?  

BL: I am most looking forward to specializing in the career that I hope to pursue in the future and learning more about medical physics specifically. I am also excited to meet other students like me who are pursuing medical physics while I am at LSU.

SMC: Do you have a career/education goal for the next five years? 10 years?

BL: Yes, after graduate school, I hope to get into a medical physics residency program. After residency, I want to become a clinical medical physicist, where I will work on radiation treatments for oncology patients.