Lab Partners for Life

What began with pipettes and problem sets eventually turned into something deeper. There was chemistry in the classroom—and between them. “We met at Emmanuel,” Delano said. “We’ve been together since the beginning of senior year.”

Meserve had come to Boston from a small town in Maine, drawn to Emmanuel’s forensics concentration and the chance to be part of a small, supportive college in the heart of Boston. Delano, from Swampscott, Massachusetts, had a similar instinct. “It was far enough from home to get away from that small town, but close enough to still go home on the weekends,” he said.

Mentors Who Matter

They were both drawn to science, but neither knew exactly what research or graduate school would hold. That came later—thanks in large part, they say, to faculty mentors who not only taught them chemistry but also opened their eyes to the possibilities ahead. Dr. Aren Gerdon, Professor of Chemistry, in particular, became a touchstone. “He asked me after my freshman year if I wanted to join his research lab,” Meserve recalled. “I had no idea what research even was. I give him a lot of credit for where I’m at today.”

Delano, too, found inspiration in Gerdon’s teaching. “Even years later, when I was teaching labs in grad school, his style was always in the back of my mind.” The pair speak of Gerdon with reverence. “We went back for an alumni-student event he hosted recently,” Meserve said. “Honestly, anything for Dr. Gerdon—we’ll show up.”

Gerdon is equally touched by their enduring connection. “As a teacher you never really know what’s going to stick or what impact you might have on students you’re working with. Knowing that I, or any amazing teacher in our department, played some small role in supporting both Krista and TJ, or any of our students, is exciting and really humbling," he said.

Long-Distance Love—and Lab Work

After graduating in 2018, the couple took parallel tracks: Delano to Michigan State for a Ph.D. in inorganic chemistry, Meserve to the University of Michigan for a Ph.D. in analytical chemistry, after a year working at a biotech startup in South Boston. The two campuses are about an hour-and-a-half apart. “We split the commute,” Meserve said. “Now we live 10 minutes from our offices. That feels like a luxury.”

Their work, though rooted in the same discipline, could hardly be more different. Delano spent his Ph.D. years developing single-molecule magnets—tiny structures with the potential to change how digital information is stored. Meserve’s research focused on diagnostics, developing tools to detect serious diseases like latent tuberculosis and Ebola using novel biosensor technology. “I loved the public health side of it,” she said. “It felt meaningful.”

This fall, the couple will marry in Andover, not far from where they now live and work—Delano as a process development engineer at Raytheon, Meserve as a research and development scientist at ALPCO in Salem, New Hampshire. The job search that brought them home wasn’t easy. “It was pretty stressful,” Meserve admitted. “A lot of applications went unanswered. But we both found jobs through networking.”

The wedding will include some familiar faces from their college days. “My maid of honor and TJ’s best man went to Emmanuel,” Meserve said. “TJ and his best man actually met in elementary school and then both attended Emmanuel. Several others in the groom’s party attended EC and many of our college friends have been invited as guests!”

Even years after graduation, the Emmanuel experience still continues to shape Meserve and Delano—in their careers, their confidence, and the chemistry that first sparked on campus. “At Emmanuel, all the professors knew your name within a few weeks,” Delano said. “It’s a different kind of education.”

For Meserve, the most lasting impact was personal. “What was most meaningful at Emmanuel was seeing my own growth,” she said. “I came in scared of science. But over time, I made so many connections—through the SLC, the ARC [Academic Resource Center], my classes—and by the end, I had become the mentor. I was the tutor, the instructional assistant, the senior research student. That realization—that I’d come full circle—was powerful.”