Woo Hoo! That’s the spirit that many of Sharon Burk ’17’s K63G8 classmates would immediately recognize—and Sharon has truly exceeded every expectation her peers had for her. After graduating from St. Francis, Sharon pursued a double major in Molecular and Cell Biology, and Italian Studies at UC Berkeley, where she earned the prestigious Departmental Citation for outstanding achievement by a graduating senior. She humorously remarks that reading Dante was her way of unwinding. Sharon’s college journey was marked by the unexpected challenge of the Covid pandemic, but she reflects on it with grace: “In hindsight, I think being in high school at that time would have been harder—the loss of Kairos, Senior Ball, Senior Sunset, and so on. My heart goes out to the St. Francis grads of 2020 and 2021.”

The year 2021 brought Sharon both highs and lows. She celebrated the joy of graduating from Berkeley, but the pandemic meant there was no in-person ceremony to mark the occasion. Soon after, as she was setting her sights on a post-graduate program focused on cancer research, Sharon’s world took another turn—her aunt in Italy was diagnosed with triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC). While she initially explored programs in the U.S., Sharon discovered a professor who had labs both in the U.S. and Italy and offered her a spot in a PhD program in Medical Biotechnologies. This opportunity allowed Sharon not only to continue her academic journey but also to support her aunt by ensuring she received the best possible treatment in Italy.

Despite the challenges posed by the pandemic, Sharon was able to stay with her aunt during her treatments, thanks to understanding nurses who recognized the significance of Sharon’s cancer research. This experience brought a personal dimension to her work. Sharon shares, “It allowed me to put a face and purpose to the research I wanted to do. Sometimes we miss the main point; the ultimate goal is to give hope to patients and improve their quality of life.”

Sharon embarked on her PhD at the Department of Medical Biotechnologies at the Università degli Studi di Siena, focusing on oncology research. Her thesis focused on one of the most aggressive forms of breast cancer, triple-negative breast cancer. Before her aunt’s diagnosis, Sharon wasn’t aware of the different subtypes of breast cancer. As a Breast Cancer Research Fellow at the Sbarro Health Research Organization, Sharon defended her thesis on The Role of CDK10 in Triple-Negative Breast Cancer (TNBC). TNBC is a particularly aggressive form of breast cancer, disproportionately affecting young premenopausal women and women of color. Although it accounts for only 10-15% of all breast cancer cases, it is responsible for a much higher proportion of breast cancer-related deaths. Sharon’s work aims to address the urgent need for targeted therapies for TNBC, which lacks the targeted treatments available for hormone receptor-positive and HER2-positive breast cancers.

In the midst of her PhD program, Sharon faced another personal challenge—her father was diagnosed with multiple myeloma, a rare blood cancer. She dedicated her doctoral achievements to her aunt Simona, her father Jim, and her grandfather Frank, who passed away just three days before Sharon submitted her thesis. She reflects, “They’ve all been my motivation to keep pushing forward through hardships, reminding me of the true value of oncology research: to give hope to cancer patients and their families and improve their quality of life.” Sharon graduated as one of the youngest individuals to complete the PhD program at the Università degli Studi di Siena.

Sharon, we can’t help but say, “Woo Hoo!” Your resilience, dedication, and the impact you’re making in the world of cancer research are truly inspiring. While completing your PhD during such a precarious time was no easy feat, we know that the future—our future—is brighter because of you. Welcome back to California, and we look forward to the incredible impact you will continue to have.