Student profile
Describe a topic, idea, or concept you find so engaging that it makes you lose all track of time. Why does it captivate you? What or who do you turn to when you want to learn more?
My curiosity about life started as a child, when I would buy dozens of animal encyclopedias and go through them again and again, spending hours on end reading facts and figures. Growing up, I also had to cope with many medical complications in my family. My grandmother required a heart valve replacement and my grandfather, who lives with us, struggles with Parkinson's disease. As the dependable, seemingly unstoppable seniors began to age, I saw that without medical science, they'd have poorer quality of life.
As I learned to help care for them and understand what was wrong in their bodies, my interests shifted from animal sciences to the human body. When my parents bought me a children's microscope, I was able to view insect wings and other minuscule body parts in much greater detail. The idea that there were more detailed worlds for me to explore gave me a fiery drive to see how the building blocks of life could come together and operate as a complex organism.
My work in school and at external labs has shown me how enthralling and intricate biology is, reinforcing my commitment to the field. Beyond my biology and chemistry courses, I seek other opportunities to learn more, whether in school, clubs or while looking for internships and projects.
My sophomore year, I attended a two-week-long residential program, the Rosetta Institute at UC Berkeley, to learn lab techniques and the genetic bases for cancer. I studied the operations of cell reproduction, how genes can go awry, and lab techniques that can be applied in the field of oncology.
In the summers of 2018 and 2019, I worked for a biotech research facility, Panorama Labs in Sunnyvale, CA, performing meticulous procedures such as antibody screening in bacterial cultures and scanning proteins for desired sequences. Under the guidance of my advisor, I have become adept at using tools such as PCR machines, gel electrophoresis, ELISA scans, and other lab processes to prepare myself for a future in medical research.
Concurrently, this past summer, I worked under a program known as the Aspiring Scholars Directed Research Program. For my project, I used CRISPR, a gene-editing tool, to study the effects of knocking out target genes in ribosomal coding sites in E. Coli bacteria and replacing them with mutagenized versions. Working on this project required me to attend additional classes in biotechnology to understand concepts and prepare for experiments. Our team published a research paper titled "Generation of Escherichia coli Resistant Mutants using CRISPR/Cas9 Knock-in Technology," found at https://www.fremontstem.org/asdrp-journal.
Additionally, this summer, to learn more about the impact of the environment on humans over the ages, I took an online AP course Human Geography, learning about human cultures and their interactions with the environment. I found it interesting that human health can be contingent on the environmental factors that helped form societies. These influences can be seen in the concept of cultural medicines or the fact that some areas are prone to diseases that most other regions don't have to deal with, such as malaria.
I am the president of my high school's Science Olympiad team and have been involved with this club since eighth grade. Therefore, a lot of my free time goes towards studying for my events. Through participating in biology-related events, from epidemiology to genetic disease, I am able to further my breadth of knowledge. This requires me to find new books, research on the internet, and work with others to accumulate knowledge about the subjects I compete in. Beyond winning numerous medals, connecting academic content to advanced competition topics excites me as it confirms that I've understood the applications of my academic' studies. The thrill of making these connections deepens my interest for medical research.