Lamphere Scholarship Gives Runyararo Chaora ’25 The World

by Libby Cudmore

Blue Key Leader. Resident Advisor. STEM study group mentor. Social Innovation fellow. Runyararo Chaora ’25 does it all — but she doesn’t do it alone.

A recipient of the Dr. Elizabeth Lamphere Scholarship, Chaora, a pre-med major and international student from Harare, Zimbabwe, has been able to pursue plenty of on- and off-campus opportunities.

“It’s nice to be able to focus on my education without worrying how I’m going to pay for it,” she said. “Getting this scholarship means I can focus on my studies, learn for pleasure, and do things that are interesting for me.”

The scholarship, established through the estate of Dr. Elizabeth V. Lamphere ’38 H’97, is given yearly to a junior chemistry major. Lamphere was the retired chair of the Science Department in the Norwich City School System. During her teaching career, she taught at both the high school and college levels.

Inspired by Lamphere’s legacy, Chaora has taken on such initiatives as making soap for the chemistry club’s annual fundraiser, starting an MCAT study group and mentoring opportunities for STEM students.

And, most importantly, she says she’s been able to spend more time doing what she loves.

“Because of this scholarship, I was really able to focus on my lab work,” she said. “I’ve been able to be part of the International Genetically Engineered Machine (iGEM) competition and went to Paris, France, for their annual jamboree.”

The competition challenges students to solve a community problem using synthetic biology, and her team created a device that remediates the wastewater from semiconductor plants. The Hartwick team, with Chaora as a member, won the gold medal.

“Attending the iGEM Jamboree in Paris was game-changing for me,” she said. “It opened my eyes to the ways in which synthetic biology can be used to transform our world’s systems. I’m excited to be able to participate in research that is at the forefront of the world’s technological development.”

In addition to the Lamphere Scholarship, Chaora received an Emerson Scholarship to intern at a clinic in Morocco, as well as the Dr. James Elting H’13 Memorial Scholarship.

“You need something to inspire you,” she said. “And being able to really explore my studies here at Hartwick with these scholarships has made it possible to do everything I want to do.”

Listen to Runyararo Chaora ’25 share her Hartwick experience with new students during Opening Convocation – August 2024.