Quarantine Reflection (May 2020)
I bet you were expecting a list of complaints, but HA, you were wrong! One unexpected perk of being trapped at home away from college is that I could finally foster a cat. Before Covid, there were always so many things holding me back from taking care of a foster cat, like: my apartment won't let me have one (no more apartment), I'm not home enough (now you're at home 24/7), what if I want to go on a trip (as if). Therefore, the logical solution in this situation was to go pick out a cat. This is Squid.
Cute right? When I first got him he was really scared of people and hid under my bed for a few days. I found out that he came from a hoarder's house in California, and his clipped left ear means that he was feral. Over the next few days, he began to trust me and followed me everywhere. He enjoyed attending my zoom lectures, and was the best study buddy I ever could have asked for. He listened to enough biology lectures that he may have had some input on my pacu paper.
Near the end of the quarter, I received an email that someone wanted to adopt Squid. I was so happy that he wouldn't have to live in a cage ever again, but I was sad that our time together has come to an end. Moving back home away from all of my friends has been the most isolating experience of my life, but it was nice to not have to go through the quarter completely alone, even if my only classmate was a cat.
Fall 2019 Reflection (Dec 2019)
I am often frustrated because I feel like my life is not moving in the direction that I want it to go. I often feel too small too weak to take control of all of the moving pieces in my life. I try to remind myself that this is normal, and that the world is just too big of a thing to have control over, and that is okay. Anyways, I was thinking about the ways that I have progressed through my few years at UW.
I decided to come to UW initially because I wanted to be a neurosurgeon and I believed that this school would prepare me for medical school. The path in my mind was linear, and I knew exactly what steps were required of me in order to get from point A to point B. All I had to do was get good grades, volunteer in some hospitals, shadow some doctors, and rock the MCAT. But man, was I wrong.
My plan was quite faulty. My goals were too fixed. If I followed this plan, I would not be making the most of what college has to offer. Looking back, it feels crazy to think I knew everything as a senior in high school about what the next few years had in store for me, and I never would have been able to predict what my time at UW would entail.
I decided to come to UW for all of the wrong reasons, but coming here was the best decision I have ever made. I wanted to come here because of the prestige of the honors programs, the high rankings on college prep websites, and the neuroscience program. As a junior, I do not love UW for any of those reasons.
I love this school because of the breadth of classes that are available from professors who lead in their fields. There are not a lot of schools out there where I would be able to take classes about narwhal ecology, the orcas in the puget sound, or the extinction of the dinosaurs. I love the opportunities that I have had to experience different fields. UW had allowed me to conduct research projects in the San Juan islands and in the jungles of Costa Rica. I have been given the chance to be a leader in my program and interact with others. I enjoy constantly being surrounded by people who are passionate about their work and who are excited to share their research topics with me. I am excited by the work that I have been a part of at the UW medical center and it has made me feel confident in my decision to pursue a PhD.
Looking back, I have 100% failed at the plan that senior year of high school me had so carefully planned. I have gotten my fair share of good grades, but also a few poor ones, which have taught me my weaknesses and has helped me grow as a student. I currently spend over 20 hours a week volunteering in the UW medical center, but I am working on a research project and not patient care. I shadow loads of doctors through my research, but they are the PhD kind and not MDs. And I will definitely will not be taking the MCAT, but I will be a doctor anyway once I get my PhD in marine biology.
Anyways, I surprisingly did achieve my goal of becoming a neurosurgeon, and without a medical degree! At my research lab, I get to perform neurosurgeries on a few dozen rat patients each week. I highly enjoy getting to do these procedures, and now that I have accomplished my goal of becoming a neurosurgeon at such a young age I cannot wait to see what is to come during my career as a scientist.
I decided to come to UW initially because I wanted to be a neurosurgeon and I believed that this school would prepare me for medical school. The path in my mind was linear, and I knew exactly what steps were required of me in order to get from point A to point B. All I had to do was get good grades, volunteer in some hospitals, shadow some doctors, and rock the MCAT. But man, was I wrong.
My plan was quite faulty. My goals were too fixed. If I followed this plan, I would not be making the most of what college has to offer. Looking back, it feels crazy to think I knew everything as a senior in high school about what the next few years had in store for me, and I never would have been able to predict what my time at UW would entail.
I decided to come to UW for all of the wrong reasons, but coming here was the best decision I have ever made. I wanted to come here because of the prestige of the honors programs, the high rankings on college prep websites, and the neuroscience program. As a junior, I do not love UW for any of those reasons.
I love this school because of the breadth of classes that are available from professors who lead in their fields. There are not a lot of schools out there where I would be able to take classes about narwhal ecology, the orcas in the puget sound, or the extinction of the dinosaurs. I love the opportunities that I have had to experience different fields. UW had allowed me to conduct research projects in the San Juan islands and in the jungles of Costa Rica. I have been given the chance to be a leader in my program and interact with others. I enjoy constantly being surrounded by people who are passionate about their work and who are excited to share their research topics with me. I am excited by the work that I have been a part of at the UW medical center and it has made me feel confident in my decision to pursue a PhD.
Looking back, I have 100% failed at the plan that senior year of high school me had so carefully planned. I have gotten my fair share of good grades, but also a few poor ones, which have taught me my weaknesses and has helped me grow as a student. I currently spend over 20 hours a week volunteering in the UW medical center, but I am working on a research project and not patient care. I shadow loads of doctors through my research, but they are the PhD kind and not MDs. And I will definitely will not be taking the MCAT, but I will be a doctor anyway once I get my PhD in marine biology.
Anyways, I surprisingly did achieve my goal of becoming a neurosurgeon, and without a medical degree! At my research lab, I get to perform neurosurgeries on a few dozen rat patients each week. I highly enjoy getting to do these procedures, and now that I have accomplished my goal of becoming a neurosurgeon at such a young age I cannot wait to see what is to come during my career as a scientist.
Honors 240: Intro to Drawing (Dec 2019)
This quarter, I was finally able to take a fine art class through Honors at UW. Drawing and painting have always been one of my passions, but I have never had a chance to dedicate time to this hobby in the past few years.
I enjoyed this class because it challenged parts of my mind that I don’t typically use often in my STEM courses. My STEM classes tend to be fast-paced and stressful, and these classes tend to make me feel drained, and like I need breaks often while studying. Fortunately, this art course had the opposite effect on my mind. This class was the first class that I have taken at UW that made me feel relaxed, and I enjoyed how it was graded on personal growth as an artist as opposed to comparing each person’s skills on a bell curve.
This class challenged me to see things differently than I am used to, and I acquired many new ways to break down the world in front of me. For instance, imagine a chair. There are many possible ways for me to draw this chair. We started the course by simply outlining the shape of the chair, and then we started over and tried to draw the shapes around the chair, leaving us with a “negative shape” that resembled the chair. Interestingly, when you draw negative shapes instead of the positive space, the drawing is more proportional because your brain does not have any preconceived notions about how negative spaces should look. I can apply this lesson to science because when a problem seems complicated, there must be a different approach that may be taken in order to make the solution seem more apparent.
I enjoyed this class because it challenged parts of my mind that I don’t typically use often in my STEM courses. My STEM classes tend to be fast-paced and stressful, and these classes tend to make me feel drained, and like I need breaks often while studying. Fortunately, this art course had the opposite effect on my mind. This class was the first class that I have taken at UW that made me feel relaxed, and I enjoyed how it was graded on personal growth as an artist as opposed to comparing each person’s skills on a bell curve.
This class challenged me to see things differently than I am used to, and I acquired many new ways to break down the world in front of me. For instance, imagine a chair. There are many possible ways for me to draw this chair. We started the course by simply outlining the shape of the chair, and then we started over and tried to draw the shapes around the chair, leaving us with a “negative shape” that resembled the chair. Interestingly, when you draw negative shapes instead of the positive space, the drawing is more proportional because your brain does not have any preconceived notions about how negative spaces should look. I can apply this lesson to science because when a problem seems complicated, there must be a different approach that may be taken in order to make the solution seem more apparent.
21 things I've learned in my 21 years (Nov 2019)
I recently turned 21, which is the age that nearly everyone agrees makes you a true adult. I was thinking about things I would have liked to tell my pre-college self about life, and I have compiled this list.
- Always always always trust your gut instinct. It is the most honest force there is.
- Every organism with a heart lives for approximately the same number of heartbeats.
- Know when to let someone go. You should never doubt if someone wants to be a part of your life. If they do, they will make this known. If you doubt if someone is there for you, they probably are not.
- Never do something only because it looks good on a resume. You will be miserable doing it and it will only lead you to do more things that do not make you happy.
- Family is not limited by blood. Friends are often there for you in ways your biological family will never be.
- If things feel wrong, make changes to cut out the bad things. Eventually things will be okay again. If not, keep making changes until things are.
- Do not take out your anger that you have towards yourself on other people. It will only make things worse.
- No one wants to be friends with someone who is always negative. It gets too tiring. Try to focus on the good even if it is hard.
- Know your worth and refuse to settle for anything less.
- It is okay to let things hurt, but then let them go.
- Things will almost never turn out the way that you expect them to, and this is perfectly okay.
- You cannot experience growth without things feeling uncomfortable. Eventually, this uncomfort will fade and you will be stronger in the end.
- If you truly gave it your best effort, you should not regret it.
- You will know when you have found your passion. You get a feeling.
- Spend time with your parents when you can. They miss you.
- Do not be afraid to let scientists know that they inspire you. They will most likely help you reach your goals.
- No one is calling you stupid except for yourself.
- Don’t compare yourself to others academically. Everyone learns differently and has different strengths. You really cannot make a fair comparison between yourself and other students.
- People are not judging you nearly as much as you think they are. Do what you want, no one cares. Everyone is too focused on themselves to worry about what you are doing.
- Complain less. The people around you may be dealing with far larger problems with far more grace than you.
- Take more pictures. Of everything. Time goes by fast.
Spring 2018 Reflection (June 2018)
In my opinion, deciding on a career path is often made much more difficult than it needs to be. When I first arrived on UW’s campus, I was overwhelmed by the seemingly endless number of majors that were in front of me. Every option seemed to lead to a life and a career I was not sure I wanted. I feared of settling for a job that bored me merely for the money. I remember thinking about what things make me the happiest, and what kinds of careers would allow me to engage with my passions. The ocean was the first thing to come to mind, and I believe that a job in marine biology is a perfect fit for my lifestyle. I am fascinated by everything that lives in the ocean. Everything. Seriously. Do not go to a beach with me unless you are ready to learn about species of algae, invertebrates, or marine birds and mammals that I want to talk to you about. I am excited to spend my life traveling the world and educating people about our beautiful oceans while stressing the importance of keeping them as clean as possible in order to protect marine life. During my time as an undergraduate, I am exploring as many avenues of marine science as possible with the goal of narrowing down my studies before applying to graduate programs in marine science.
Honors 232: Collaborating Against Human Trafficking (June 2019)
Before taking this course I had heard of human trafficking before, but I did not have a complete understanding of how common it is or that it occurs in Seattle. For example, most of the frozen shrimp in grocery stores here is collected through slave labor in Asia; the workers on these fishing boats may be away from shore for years are a time and may commit suicide rather than continue to be trapped on the boats forever.
Human trafficking is when force, fraud, or coercion is used to exploit people for labor or for sexual purposes. Once a person becomes a victim of trafficking, it becomes nearly impossible for them to become free because of the severe power imbalance between the victim and the trafficker.
In this class, each student was challenged to explore the prevalence of human trafficking in various countries, and to come up with a proposal for how trafficking can be eliminated in our chosen nations. For my report, I chose Australia because I would like to move there someday, and I think that it is important to know the signs of a victim of human trafficking in case I come in contact with someone who needs my assistance in the future.
Human trafficking is when force, fraud, or coercion is used to exploit people for labor or for sexual purposes. Once a person becomes a victim of trafficking, it becomes nearly impossible for them to become free because of the severe power imbalance between the victim and the trafficker.
In this class, each student was challenged to explore the prevalence of human trafficking in various countries, and to come up with a proposal for how trafficking can be eliminated in our chosen nations. For my report, I chose Australia because I would like to move there someday, and I think that it is important to know the signs of a victim of human trafficking in case I come in contact with someone who needs my assistance in the future.
Honors 391: The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks (Feb 2018)
Like most biology students, I had heard of HeLa cells, but I had no idea about the controversy behind their origins. These cells came from a woman named Henrietta Lacks, who had cervical cancer. Doctors collected her tumor at the Johns Hopkins University Hospital. These cells are especially interesting because they contain a novel mutation that allows them to replicate forever, never showing any signs of aging. The cells have led to discoveries that have saved millions of lives, but little credit is given to the woman who these cells were taken from.
While Hopkins was making millions of dollars from Henrietta’s cells, the Lacks family lived in extreme poverty and was unable to receive constant medical care. The majority of the hospitals in the South at this time would refuse to provide treatment to black patients, and those that would often conduct experiments on the patients who could not afford medical services.
This class opened my eyes to the inequality of treatment between races that is exhibited in the medical field, and it changed the way that I think about medical care now that I understand the disparity that is present. I discuss my thoughts further in my final paper.
While Hopkins was making millions of dollars from Henrietta’s cells, the Lacks family lived in extreme poverty and was unable to receive constant medical care. The majority of the hospitals in the South at this time would refuse to provide treatment to black patients, and those that would often conduct experiments on the patients who could not afford medical services.
This class opened my eyes to the inequality of treatment between races that is exhibited in the medical field, and it changed the way that I think about medical care now that I understand the disparity that is present. I discuss my thoughts further in my final paper.
UW Equestrian Team (Feb 2018)
Horseback riding has been a fundamental part of my life ever since I was five years old. I believe my connection to horses from an early age is part of the reason why I am on a path to study animals as a career today. I have ridden horses competitively for the past ten years, and I decided to join the UW equestrian team during fall quarter in order to continue competing. This team has allowed me to improve as a rider and spend time with other students who share my passion for the sport. I was recently elected as fundraising chair for the team, and I am in charge of raising money for a riding competition that we are hosting for all of the D1 teams in our region. I am excited about this new responsibility, and I am excited to watch the team grow closer through the planning of this event. |
Honors 205: What We Know and How We Know it (Dec 2017)
Looking back, I think that this course was an excellent introduction to the University of Washington! I highly enjoyed learning about so many different fields that I can work in someday from all of our guest speakers. The most important lesson that I am taking away from this course is that everyone’s mind processes information differently. Once you recognize your personal strengths, you can find a career that is the perfect fit for you.
My favorite guest speaker from this course was Dr. Kristen Laidre from the School of Aquatic and Fishery sciences. She studies the population dynamics of arctic top predators, and I had no idea that this job existed! Her talk has made me interested in looking into the marine biology classes that are available at UW, and I would love to take a class with Dr. Laidre in the future.
My artifact for this course is this paper that I wrote about the importance of art in a STEM world. Before college, I believed that STEM and the arts are completely separate paths, but I now am beginning to understand how both fields are highly intertwined.
My favorite guest speaker from this course was Dr. Kristen Laidre from the School of Aquatic and Fishery sciences. She studies the population dynamics of arctic top predators, and I had no idea that this job existed! Her talk has made me interested in looking into the marine biology classes that are available at UW, and I would love to take a class with Dr. Laidre in the future.
My artifact for this course is this paper that I wrote about the importance of art in a STEM world. Before college, I believed that STEM and the arts are completely separate paths, but I now am beginning to understand how both fields are highly intertwined.
Beginning My Husky Experience (Sept. 2017)
This is a picture of me and my roommate at the first football game of the season in August. My roommate and I were on campus in August because we were taking part in UW’s Early Fall Start program. I took a course that focused on the fetal origins of adult diseases, and I loved being in a such a small seminar because it was easy to have my questions answered by the professor. This football game changed my perspective of UW because I was used to the only students on campus being the few hundred freshmen participating in Early Fall Start, and it felt slightly overwhelming at first to see thousands of other students in the stands surrounding me. However, it was exciting to feel the school spirit that comes with attending such a large university, and this was the first moment that I truly felt like a college student.
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