Meet Kainat A.
From Individual Studies Graduate to 麻豆影视 Faculty Member
鈥淚 can't forget any of the professors I had here. I wanted to pay that forward.鈥
For Kainat Akhtar '16, returning to 麻豆影视 as a faculty member is more than a career milestone. It's a chance to give back to the place that helped shape her future.
Kainat immigrated to Troy from Pakistan as a young child after her father sought greater educational opportunities for his family. Unsure of her career path after high school, she enrolled at Hudson Valley just two days after graduation. The transition wasn't easy.
"Culturally, it was difficult," she said. "My parents didn't understand how college worked, and I had to navigate those differences while figuring out who I wanted to be."
She chose the Individual Studies program for its flexibility, allowing her to explore biology and psychology while completing her degree. Along the way, faculty members helped her discover a passion for research.
Biology professor Mike Shea connected her with a researcher at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, opening the door to laboratory research. Psychology professor Todd Wysocki helped her see how science could be combined with helping others.
After transferring to the University at Albany to study psychology and neuroscience, Kainat entered Albany Medical College's Ph.D. program on a full scholarship, where her research focused on Parkinson's disease. She studied whether ultrasound stimulation of the vagus nerve could help slow the disease's progression before symptoms appear.
She earned her doctorate in March 2025 and immediately began looking for ways to share what she'd learned. Today, she directs the Science and Technology Entry Program at Albany Medical College, introducing underrepresented high school students to careers in science, while also returning to Hudson Valley to teach psychology.
"I can't forget any of the professors I had here," she said. "They genuinely wanted students to succeed, and I wanted to use my degree to pay that forward."
Now a full-time faculty member and academic adviser, Kainat hopes to continue mentoring students while expanding her impact through academic leadership. Her long-term dream reaches even farther.
"My grandfather always wanted to build a school in our village in Pakistan," she said. "Someday, I hope to make that dream a reality."
Looking back, Kainat credits Hudson Valley with setting her on a path she never imagined. "I'm grateful for everything," she said. "I hope my story shows students that if they find something they love, they should go after it."