Nate Carey selected as Eberly College of Science spring 2025 student marshal
Nate Carey of Chesapeake Beach, Maryland, will be honored as the student marshal for the Penn State Eberly College of Science at the University’s spring 2025 commencement ceremony on Sunday, May 11, on the University Park campus.
Carey will graduate with a 4.0 grade-point average and a bachelor’s degree and master’s degree in biotechnology. During his Penn State career, Carey has received multiple awards and recognitions for his academics and research. In 2024, he received the Astronaut Scholarship and the Goldwater Scholarship. Then, in 2025, he received the Marshall Scholarship and the Professional Master’s Excellence Award after being selected as a finalist for the Rhodes Scholarship.
At commencement, Carey will also represent the Army Reserve Officer Training Corps as student marshal.
When he found out that he was selected as the college’s student marshal, Carey’s first thought was, “I need to call mom!”
“My mom has been my most ardent supporter throughout my undergraduate experience and has been a unifying force in my family through the greatest challenge of our lives,” he said. “Without her guidance, love, and phenomenal cooking, I would not have approached my coursework and extracurriculars with the same persistence and drive."
As an undergraduate student, Carey was eager to get involved in research. He joined the Rolls Lab under Melissa Rolls, Paul Berg Professor of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, and has been investigating the role of mitotic proteins in neurogenerative diseases like Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s.
“This research has important implications for identifying therapeutic targets and drug discovery for these diseases,” he added.
Carey’s experience as an undergraduate researcher branched off and expanded the opportunities that were available to him at Penn State. Through various internships and study abroad programs, he worked in multiple international settings, including Morocco, Japan, Germany, and Switzerland. In addition to his research, Carey served as president of the Society for Industrial Biotechnology from 2022 to 2024. He was also a cadet in Penn State’s Army ROTC unit, where he served as commanding officer of headquarters and Headquarters Company in fall 2024.
During his time at Penn State, Carey shared two important lessons that he learned. The first: He didn’t have all the answers.
“Coming into college, I was naively confident in my commitment to a specific career path and what I believe successes meant. The abundance of life-changing opportunities at Penn State forced me to reevaluate my dreams, and I learned something new nearly every day. I absorbed as much as possible from my many mentors, allowing the goals, obstacles, and purpose of my life to finally come into focus. In the future, it will be essential for me to maintain the open-mindedness and drive to learn that I developed as a Penn State student."
The second lesson that he learned is perseverance makes perfect.
“My four years at Penn State have been the most challenging and the most rewarding of my life,” Carey said. “Balancing my independent research project with the demands of Army ROTC and the Society for Industrial Biotechnology required consistency, focus, and a willingness to make personal sacrifices. This process is best embodied by the late Friday, Saturday, and Sunday nights that I spent collecting data or studying for an upcoming exam. Moving forward, I expect significant challenges in my mission to improve health care, and I will forever remember how perseverance enabled me to thrive at Penn State.”
Following graduation, Carey will be attending U.S. Army Advanced Camp at Fort Knox, Kentucky, to qualify to commission as an Army officer. Upon graduation from Advanced Camp, he will proceed to an internship with the Army Research Laboratory at Aberdeen Proving Ground. After completing his summer training and internship, Carey will pursue his doctoral degree in engineering science at the University of Oxford, where he will combine his interests in materials science, bioelectronics, and regenerative medicine with the goal of developing a prototype medical device for use in cancer treatment.