My family has always encouraged me to pursue what I love. As a child, I drew chemical structures on my painting easel with my dad, and my mom and I used Harry Potter to learn geometry. The passionate explanations of everyday phenomena delivered by a medical doctor and a theoretical chemist sparked my interest in the intricacies of natural science. For years, I wanted to be a doctor, using medical science and technology to help others live healthier lives. I took “Fast-Paced HS Biology” and other courses in middle school and loved learning the science that made nature work and the rush of experimental inquiry. 

Upon reaching high school, biology, chemistry, and calculus courses fueled my interest in STEM. At NCSSM, my interests further intensified and broadened. I had not yet taken physics or used applied mathematics before, and with only five months of exposure I see physics as the basis of everything around me in beautiful principles. I yearned to share this with others and was delighted to accept a position as a physics teaching assistant. 

I was accepted to my school’s Research in Science program, where my independent research in chemical biology expanded my view to realize not just how much we have learned about the science governing our bodies, but also how much we have yet to learn. More than using scientific tools to treat patients, this experience made me also want to develop treatments and techniques to help humankind on a larger scale through medical research.