Innovation thrives on collaboration. At Vanderbilt, we know that working together with varied ideas, perspectives and experiences is essential to solving the world’s most pressing challenges and to reaching inspired goals.
Meet four members of the Class of 2025 who are transforming lives by collaborating in engineering, medicine, mentorship and education.
ELIZA HILL, CHANGING LIVES THROUGH MAKING
Eliza Hill’s eyes glisten as she recounts witnessing a 7-year-old boy named Hugh with radial dysplasia (club arms) feed himself for the first time. He was able to accomplish this life-changing goal because of a device she and a team from the School of Engineering made at a weekend makeathon at the Wond’ry, Vanderbilt’s Innovation Center.
“That moment is forever seared in my brain as the most incredible feeling,” the chemical engineering major said.
And that was just her first year at Vanderbilt. Fast forward to now, and Hill is a leader in Vanderbilt’s chapter of Tikkun Olam Makers, a global movement of collaborators designing life-changing devices like the one they made for Hugh.
“Never in my wildest dreams would I have imagined that I could have such an impact, especially as a college student,” she said. “I love TOM so much, and I am so grateful every single day that I found it.”
Hill said one class in particular has fueled her philosophy of altruistic collaboration.
“My favorite class has been Professor Kevin Galloway’s course, How To Make (Almost) Anything and Make it Matter. I’ve heard that other schools have ‘how to make almost anything’ classes, but what makes his so unique to Vanderbilt is that we want to make it matter,” she said. “That’s what Vanderbilt is all about.”
“Eliza is driven by empathy and curiosity,” said Galloway, who is also director of making at the Wond’ry, Vanderbilt’s Innovation Center. “She has a unique gift to make everyone feel welcome and included.”
WORLD PERSPECTIVES
You could say that collaboration is built into Hill’s DNA. She is an identical twin; she and her sister, Nicole, came to Vanderbilt together from Colorado. But their upbringing started much farther away than the Rocky Mountains. Hill and her siblings were born while their family was living and working in Madrid.
“My parents took a 13-year working adventure in Madrid, so we were all born with Spanish as our first language and went to traditional public schools in Spain,” she said. “I’m thankful for my Spanish side, and I loved growing up in two different cultures.”
SKY IS THE LIMIT
The adventure goes beyond living abroad. Her father is a flight instructor, and Hill is working on earning her pilot’s license.
“I remember that first time going up into the air—I was so nervous before I got into the plane; I was filled with all this jittery excitement. But then as soon as I took off, it was a wave of calmness, like ‘I’ve prepared for this. I feel confident. I feel good.’ I guess that’s a pretty great metaphor for life right now,” she said, laughing.
After Commencement, Hill is combining her chemical engineering major with her love of mechanical engineering and planes with a position at GE Aerospace. And she plans to stay connected with TOM maker groups wherever she lives.
KEYONTE’ DOUGHTY CREATES COLLABORATION THROUGH COMMUNITY
Learning how to successfully collaborate was a necessity for ultimate middle child Keyonte’ Doughty. He has four older siblings and three younger siblings. At Vanderbilt, this extroverted first-generation college student has forged his own path, while making everyone he encounters feel like family.
Doughty spent most of his upbringing in Alabama and was drawn to Vanderbilt because of its SEC athletics energy and its reputation of having the friendliest students.
He’s doing his part to fuel that positive energy by building community through the AmbassaDores Dore for a Day program, Vanderbilt Student Government, the VUCept peer mentoring organization and the Black Law Students Association.
“I think the best thing about college is that you get to be around people with really diverse interests, but similar goals of being successful and making an impact,” he said.
The clubs and organizations Doughty dedicates his time to are focused on helping widen the path for other students. Most recently, Doughty and BLSA joined forces with two other student groups on a resume and LinkedIn workshop for first- and second-year students.
“My mission is about paying it forward. Through my financial aid Vanderbilt is investing in me, so I’m going to do my part to help others,” he said.
DOUBLE MAJORS, MULTIPLE SKILLS
The human and organizational development and political science double major is passionate about following current events in politics and society. He’s worked for a New York state representative in Washington, D.C., as well as interning in New York and Boston. He’s found his double majors to be a perfect complement to any career.
“I think these experiences and my majors helped me realize that there are so many different ways to have tangible impact,” Doughty said. “My generation has grown up so technology-centric, and the HOD curriculum teaches us skills around better ways to work in teams, collaborate and communicate. And we’re going to use those skills everywhere. My poli-sci major helped make me a critical thinker and taught me new ways to analyze issues.”
After Commencement, Doughty is taking a job in finance sales and trading at CitiGroup. And he says law or business school may be in his future.
KEYONTE’S SPARK
Doughty’s professors see the spark that makes him such an excellent collaborator and mentor.
“The opportunity to work with future leaders who are as kind as they are talented and intelligent is a blessing. Keyonte’ Doughty is a blessing,” said Carrie Archie Russell, principal senior lecturer and director of pre-law advising. “His tireless work ethic is inspiring, and his luminous smile is uplifting. He is the future of good governance and my hope for American democracy. I am fortunate to teach so many bright minds, but it is rare to teach bright stars like Keyonte’.”
Read more of Keyonte’ Doughty’s experiences in a Q&A.
JESSICA QUINTOS DAY LEADS THROUGH SERVICE
While the chaos of the COVID-19 pandemic sent most people into quarantine, doctor of medicine candidate Jessica Quintos Day was on the front lines, assisting in a California emergency room as a medical scribe while an undergraduate. It was that tenuous time that demanded multiple levels of collaboration, which ultimately inspired her to become a doctor.
“There was a lot of uncertainty, and it was very stressful. But I saw how the physicians really became leaders in that community and gave a lot of good, helpful medical information without creating panic and stress,” the northern California native said. “I just thought that was such an amazing career—to be able to work with a team to take care of people. That’s why I went to medical school.”
COLLABORATIVE CARE
Collaborative care is at the heart of her work leading gynecological services at the Shade Tree Clinic, which provides free health care to Nashville’s uninsured community and is run by Vanderbilt medical and nursing students.
Her work with the clinic expanded beyond direct patient care. She collaborated with technology experts at Vanderbilt to create an improved electronic record-keeping system, and she helped create an interpreter services best practice guide for the clinic.
“Jessica was awarded the clinical student of the year at Shade Tree Clinic for going above and beyond in her work, including caring for patients and teaching her peers through the students-as-teachers program,” said Dr. Amy Fleming, senior associate dean of medical student and alumni affairs and professor of pediatrics.
FOCUS ON WOMEN’S HEALTH
Quintos Day’s next step is residency as an OB/GYN so she can continue her mission of focusing special attention on the health care of women.
“Growing up I was surrounded by a lot of very strong women who really took care of everyone else’s needs and kind of put themselves on the back burner,” she said. “I saw how that really impacted their physical and emotional health. That’s when I first developed this passion of wanting to care for women.”
While working through her medical clerkships and in the emergency room, she was alarmed by the stigma around women’s health issues.
“A lot of patients in this field feel … uncomfortable bringing up certain complaints or talking about things because they are ashamed or embarrassed. I just really felt a passion around reproductive education and empowering women to advocate for themselves and their health.”
DARING TO GROW
Quintos Day said Vanderbilt’s collaborative, friendly environment feels like a family. And like any good family, her teachers and fellow students have encouraged her to dare to grow.
“I love Vanderbilt’s motto ‘dare to grow.’ One thing Vanderbilt has really taught me over these four years is to always question why we do things, whether that’s in the clinical setting or personally. I always question why we do it and try and find a better way to do it if there is one,” she said. “Really think about how you can make positive change.”
JACK ROBERTS JUE BUILDS BRIDGES BETWEEN SCHOOLS AND POLICYMAKERS
Jack Roberts Jue grew up with educational opportunities that fed his curiosity and nurtured his love of learning—opportunities he shared as a high school English and history teacher in a low-income school system.
But it was the stark disparity of resources for students that propelled Roberts Jue to focus the next chapter of his career on developing policy solutions to improve access and outcomes for disadvantaged students.
“Education inequality in American public schools is the most enduring and significant civil rights issue of our time,” said Roberts Jue, who taught in an urban California high school before starting his graduate work in public education policy at Peabody College of education and human development. “My experience as an educator in high-needs schools has strengthened my calling for education policy.”
STRONGER LENS FOR COLLABORATION
Roberts Jue said that the public education system is incredibly complex and fragmented, which is why collaboration among local, state and federal stakeholders and transparent policy are so vital.
“While I think we all aspire for education to be the great equalizer, creating a level of equal opportunity for all students, it doesn’t do that. Our education system tends to favor students in communities that have more resources and advantages,” he said.
Roberts Jue believes public education policy can be a tool to address student needs, implement research-based practices and align the incentives of diverse communities to benefit all students.
“Sometimes our education policies are far from the real needs of our communities. And sometimes our values and beliefs are so wrapped up in education issues it can be hard to see solutions and find common ground. I hope I can help cut through the noise to get at what is most important—what we know actually works for kids,” he said.
FAVORITE COLLABORATIONS
Roberts Jue is putting his Vanderbilt knowledge and teambuilding skills immediately to work through the Tennessee-based education nonprofit State Collaborative on Reforming Education, or SCORE.
“In and outside the classroom, Jack is a leader among his peers, and he embodies Peabody’s core mission: to translate research into more effective practice and policy and to be a leader who will generate positive change in the world,” said Catherine Gavin Loss, associate provost for academic affairs in the Office of Faculty Affairs and Professional Education.
The Peabody formula of working in collaborative environments has had a strong impact on Roberts Jue, who warmly defines his cohort as “committed and energized and thoughtful.”
“I have felt belonging and collaboration in late-night study sessions with my classmates working on problem sets and assignments together. I think our professors do a great job of encouraging us to participate together because as education scholars, they know that’s how we learn it, right? We learn by talking to others and working together. And because they’re professors of education and they understand how learning works,” he said.
Roberts Jue’s favorite collaboration is with his wife, Kara. The two married in the summer of 2024 after teaching together. Now his wife is an instructional coach for teachers.
He has cherished the camaraderie his cohort has built together over two years of study sessions, game nights and group activities.
“I think we’ve built our own sense of community, which has been a really lovely thing to build—especially for someone who’s not from Tennessee,” Roberts Jue said. “I’m happy to say I found my people at Vanderbilt.”
- Look for more stories in the Class of 2025 storytelling series
- Meet members of the Class of 2025 building community in meaningful ways
- Follow all the latest Commencement 2025 news and updates on the Commencement website
- Share your Commencement photos and tag #VU2025
