Elena Cabral ’26
Elena Cabral ’26
Biology major
Goldwater Scholarship winner
Student-athlete
Discipline, focus, and balance keep Elena Cabral ’26, biology major and sprinter, on track as she seeks success as a student-athlete and biology major planning a career in scientific research.
Her commitment to academic excellence has earned her a 2025 Goldwater Scholarship, the most prestigious undergraduate scholarship in engineering, mathematics, and natural sciences in the United States.
Cabral, who is from Somerset, Massachusetts, will receive up to $7,500 by the Barry Goldwater
Scholarship and Excellence in Education Foundation to use toward her education. Cabral is the fourth Providence College student in five years to be selected for the Goldwater.
“Elena is proactive in her learning, tenacious when attempting to solve a challenging problem, and thinks like a scientist,” said Kathleen Cornely, Ph.D., the Robert H. Walsh ’39 Endowed Professor in Chemistry and Biochemistry and Goldwater campus representative. “Students at Providence College have opportunities to work on research projects, supervised by faculty mentors, as early as their first year. I believe this contributes to their success in obtaining Goldwater Fellowships.”
At PC, Cabral spends weekdays attending classes, researching in labs, and training on the Ray Treacy Track or in the varsity athletics training area of the Concannon Fitness Center. After lab hours, she works on course assignments. Spring weekends often include out-of-state travel with the women’s track team.
Between it all, she finds time to relax by cooking and sharing meals with campus roommates, reading at coffee shops around Providence, and searching for unique items at thrift stores with friends.
She has worked in the cell biology lab of Kristi Miller, Ph.D., studying how cells couple growth and division to stay the right size. Cabral joined the lab in spring 2024 and was awarded a Robert H. Walsh ’39, ’66Hon. Student Research Fellowship to continue her research through the summer.
She also received an honorable mention for her poster at the American Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology conference in Chicago.
