05/21/2026
As we reflect on the academic year, we continue to celebrate some of our extraordinary graduates. One of them is April Pruitt, who recently completed her PhD in neuroscience after six years of research focused on genes associated with autism spectrum disorder.
A lifelong Catholic, April discovered Saint Thomas More in the fall of 2020 during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic. Although Masses and many programs were held online at the time, she quickly found ways to connect with the community — even joining virtual cocktail-making sessions over Zoom. Early on, she also served as an acolyte alongside Fr. Ryan Lerner, former Chaplain at STM. During that period, only the two of them and a single reader were permitted inside the Chapel for livestreamed services.
As pandemic restrictions gradually eased, April became even more involved at STM. “It’s a place where I’ve learned a lot about the Catholic intellectual tradition, and it’s also a place where people are committed to social justice,” she said. “They believe in seeing Christ in everyone.”
The immersion trips she participated in left a lasting impression on her faith. April joined two alternative spring break experiences: one at the United States–Mexico border and another in Guatemala. At the border, the emphasis of the experience was treating migrants more humanely, while in Guatemala, April and the other students examined the deeper causes of migration and the role the United States plays in shaping those realities. Both excursions helped her see how theology and Catholic social teaching are lived out in practice.
This fall, April will begin a postdoctoral research position at Harvard University. We are thrilled she will be staying in New England — and hopeful that means we’ll see her back at STM soon.
