Howling Success: Rosie Maloney

Any student wandering into the Academic Success Center (ASC) for drop-in tutoring help with classes such as organic chemistry, math or other engineering courses will likely find a helping hand in NC State fourth-year Rosie Maloney. 

Maloney, who will graduate this spring with a degree in biological engineering and minors in biomanufacturing and French, prides herself in helping her fellow students find solutions to succeed in the courses she previously took. 

“I really enjoy it when they have an ‘aha moment’ and figure something out, that’s why I do it, it’s really exciting,” Maloney said. “Especially when it’s something that I really care about like organic chemistry and I can share a little mnemonic device or a trick that I learned in my class that I still use in my upper-level classes, it’s really fun when that can help them.”

I really enjoy it when they have an ‘aha moment.’

Her work in the ASC has been part of a winding journey for Maloney, a native of the Chapel Hill/Carrboro area, at NC State. Maloney arrived in Raleigh hoping to pursue a future career as a veterinarian and decided to major in biological engineering because so many prerequisites lined up. 

However, throughout her academic journey, Maloney found her interests continually shifting from veterinary medicine to engineering. 

“I really ended up liking the bioprocessing side of biological engineering because for vet school, you have to take organic chemistry, and then you don’t actually use organic chemistry,” Maloney said. “I was like ‘organic chemistry is cool!’ I want to do something that uses the cool chemistry stuff.”

In the summers, Maloney gained experience in both veterinary medicine and biological engineering. This experience included working at the North Carolina Zoo’s wildlife rehabilitation center, online research about biological engineering with stream bank restoration, research in the animal science department about swine barn ventilation working at a small animal clinic and studying abroad in France. 

However, in the summer of 2023, during an internship with Novozymes (recently renamed Novonesis), working on creating industrial enzymes, Maloney decided to stay on the engineering career path. 

“I went that way and added the biomanufacturing minor to go more into the bioprocessing side of things,” Maloney said. “I decided I’d be an engineer and have a cat. That will be cool.” 

During her first semester of college in the fall of 2020, when all classes were online during the COVID-19 pandemic, Maloney often found herself answering questions in group chats, but she was always careful to explain how to come up with an answer rather than simply giving out answers, which meant she already had the skill set she needed for formal tutoring. 

“I said to myself, ‘I think this is a job. I think you can actually get paid for this,’” Maloney said. 

Maloney started working in the ASC as a tutor during the spring of 2021, when all tutoring was conducted virtually. 

Knowing the vital resource she provided for students during a difficult period with full-time distance education, Maloney worked through the challenges of virtual tutoring. 

“It was kind of nice because you didn’t have to go anywhere, so it was fast,” Maloney said. “But it was definitely weirder to be online, you couldn’t talk, collaborate or write on a whiteboard together.”

In the fall of 2021, in-person tutoring returned, and Maloney got to see the impact of her work in face-to-face sessions. 

“I really enjoy in-person drop-in tutoring, just because you can see who you’re working with and have more of a connection there versus just being on a screen.”

Throughout her time with the ASC, Maloney has proven invaluable to her supervisors, the students she helps, and her fellow tutors. 

The ASC’s tutoring model emphasizes helping students find methods for solving problems rather than simply providing answers, a skillset Maloney already possessed from helping other students in her classes. 

“We want them to leave tutoring being able to think, ‘OK, when I am stuck on my own, what are some ways that I can get through these problems?’” said Abbey Berkebile, the ASC’s tutor coordinator. “In addition to that, Rosie is super enthusiastic. She always has a great attitude when she comes in for her shifts and is always willing to pitch in a little bit extra.”

She always has a great attitude when she comes in for her shifts.

Throughout her two years of working with Maloney, Berkebile has seen her grow her already strong abilities to guide students to find solutions to the problems they’re facing and give specific positive reinforcement. 

She’s also taken on additional responsibilities, including becoming a peer supervisor and giving her fellow tutors feedback on their methods. 

“I’d say that’s probably her biggest area of growth, that confidence and comfortability with not just helping students, but helping her fellow tutors become the best they can be by giving them feedback and a chance to reflect on their tutoring skills,” Berkebile said. 

Maloney is a student who likes to keep busy – in addition to her work with the ASC, she’s the president of the French Club and a member of the German Club. She’s the co-president of the Biological Engineering Honors Society, treasurer of the NC State chapter of the American Society of Agricultural and Biological Engineers, a member of a bioprocessing competition team and is a Biological Engineering ambassador for incoming students.

Maloney also volunteers with a turtle rescue team at the vet school, is part of the University Honors Program and student government sustainability department and plays the violin/fiddle in the Irish Music Session.

However, one of her favorite things to do on campus is visit Wellness and Recreation’s rock-climbing wall, where she works. 

“There’s so many reasons I could have picked NC State,” Maloney said. “I picked it because of the engineering/vet school and being in state, but now that I’ve been here, I’m like, we also have a rock-climbing wall. That’s my favorite thing. I love the rock-climbing wall.”

After graduation, Maloney hopes to start her career in biological engineering by working for  Novonesis or a similar company making industrial enzymes. 

Wherever she ends up, those who have worked with Maloney at NC State know that, through her tutoring work, she’s developed leadership and interpersonal skills that will serve her well in her future endeavors. 

“She’s got a good balance of being assertive but friendly,” Berkebile said. “She’ll be a leader that gives clear instructions and leaves room for other people to give input. I’m very confident that she’ll be able to bring that balance into her future career.”