What kind of legacy do you want to leave behind?

This isn't the typical kind of question asked of most undergraduate students, but Natalie Rawlings isn't a typical student. Kelly King at Tech Launch Arizona once asked Rawlings to ponder this, and it led to a moment of honest introspection. 

What does "legacy" mean to a college student, anyway? 

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Despite any fleeting doubts, Rawlings knows she has accomplished a great deal at the University of Arizona. A fourth-year student in the W. A. Franke Honors College, she is pursuing a degree in both molecular and cellular biology and biochemistry from the College of Science and will graduate this May.

Outside of the classroom, Rawlings is an undergraduate researcher with the Capaldi Lab. Led by Andrew Capaldi, professor of molecular and cellular biology, the lab studies TORC1/mTOR, a metabolic regulator linked to aging and diseases like cancer and epilepsy. To better understand how cells regulate growth, Rawlings works with yeast due to the organism's "reliable growth rate and similarity in signaling pathways to the human body."

Rawlings said her work could help identify improved drug targets – molecules with which drugs bind and interact in order to produce desired effects. Improved targets could support the development of a wider range of treatment options across health care.

"Basic science can be hard to justify because it doesn't always link directly to human health right away, but it lays the groundwork for future discoveries," Rawlings said. "Even if this work just provides a clearer understanding of this pathway, that alone would be incredibly valuable because it could have implications far beyond what we can see right now."

Whether in the classroom, the lab or spending time with friends, Rawlings said she is motivated by her own successes – and the guidance of her mentors – to give back to her local community. That passion first materialized in the form of the Department of Molecular and Cellular Biology's undergraduate journal club, a student-run group founded by Rawlings in 2024 to spread her love for research to other students. 

"I wanted to help other undergrads not only become excited about research but feel confident in their own ability to do research," Rawlings said. "That starts with improving people's scientific literacy and communication skills. I want people to experience the same success I've had and share my joy and passion for research. I never realized how amazing research can be until I was exposed to it, and I wanted to pay that forward."

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Rawlings is also involved in several health and wellness initiatives, including the WellCats program and peer support through Counseling & Psych Services, or CAPS. As a WellCats ambassador, she worked to establish rapport between students and the services available at Campus Health, ultimately to make health and wellness more accessible for all in the campus community. After transitioning out of a leadership position within WellCats last year, Rawlings turned her attention to the CAPS program – where she now works as the lead peer counselor. In that role, she is responsible for recruiting and training other support staff, meeting with students and connecting them to resources across campus.

Rawlings' interest in health and well-being extends beyond peer counseling. She was the recipient of an Exploratory Mini Grant from the Franke Honors College in 2024, which supported the design and implementation of an evidence-based wellness space called The Recharge Room in the Health Sciences Library in the College of Medicine – Tucson.

"I wanted to create a space where students could prioritize their well-being by taking some time for themselves during the day," Rawlings said. "The space is easily accessible and free to use. The room includes acoustic wall paneling, beautiful wood surfaces and biophilic design that helps you to feel better, because you're surrounded by nature. There's also a massage chair, comfortable seating, a curated library of wellness literature and a solar cycle lamp that mimics the lighting conditions outside. It is incredibly surreal to actually see people enjoy the space and benefit from it."

Family matters

The daughter of two pharmacists, Rawlings' interest in science began with wanting to understand the natural world around her.  Soon, she saw science as "full of puzzles that needed solving."

"I remember being very young, and my mom teaching me about mRNA," Rawlings said. "When I was 10 years old, my parents bought me a microscope, and I absolutely loved it. I was always super curious. Eventually, I was given a collection of human anatomy textbooks by Frank Netter, and I found it all very interesting."

By the time she finished high school, Rawlings worked as a medical assistant for an orthopedic surgeon and investigated how different walking gaits and overall posture can lead to improved clinical outcomes for patients experiencing musculoskeletal issues. 

While the results were not as conclusive as she wanted, Rawlings called the experience "transformative in my understanding of the scientific process and real-world research."

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Rawlings found a second home at the U of A, and the perfect environment to test her academic mettle. She credits finding her stride to the first-year chemistry course taught by John Pollard, Franke Dean for the Honors College and a professor of practice in the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry. 

Before long, Rawlings precepted for Pollard, and the two quickly developed a strong rapport.

"From the first time I engaged with Natalie in the classroom, I knew she was one of those rare, exceptional students who, as a professor, you're fortunate to encounter only a few times in a career," Pollard said. "Not only was she an academically talented student, she was also an incredible teacher, showing a level of insight and empathy well beyond her years."

Aside from chemistry, Rawlings highlighted studying sociology, and her honors seminar class on mindfulness and metacognition, as pivotal moments in expanding her scientific horizons beyond biology and chemistry.

Legacy and leadership

Rawlings' dedication to excellence and the well-being of her peers has not gone unnoticed. She was recently named a 2025-26 Astronaut Scholar by the Astronaut Scholarship Foundation and previously named a Goldwater Scholar. 

"Winning these kinds of honors is incredibly surreal," Rawlings said. "To be considered a nationally competitive student is incredible. I have worked really hard in my four years at the University of Arizona, but I have also built a community, made a lot of friends and created some phenomenal memories. It never felt like a sacrifice, working towards these awards, because I've been lucky enough to have phenomenal mentors that have built me up to become a good scientist with a hopefully successful future – and I credit them a lot."

Though she is nearing the end of her undergraduate journey, Rawlings is far from finished in pursuing her passion in both science and medicine. She has now set her sights on an MD-PhD and becoming a physician-scientist. 

Rawlings can be called many things: a standout student, a peer mentor, a reliable friend. But when it comes to her "legacy," how does Rawlings see herself?

"I don't know if I would have said this a couple of years ago, but I think I've really grown into a leader," she said. "It is really empowering to have the opportunity to make decisions, call the shots and help my peers. But I know that 'leadership' is also a lot more than making decisions: you need to know your team well and learn how to best apply their skills in order to create opportunities for other people. That's definitely how I seek to lead in the future. I want to help people achieve their goals, learn to take the initiative and become leaders in what they want to accomplish."