The first time I set foot into my sister’s lab at the age of fourteen, I instantly fell in love with the environment. Witnessing her passion and dedication to her research sparked my interest in learning about her line of work, and the more I delved into it, the stronger my desire grew to understand the biological components of the human mind. In my pursuit of understanding this new subject, I enrolled in dozens of community college courses, shaping my academic journey according to my passions and aspirations, and further pushing me toward the field of biology.
To transform my curiosity into tangible experience, I pursued the opportunity to conduct research last summer, investigating the function of a protein on dynein and spindle positioning during mitosis. My month in the laboratory, with the autonomy to conduct my own research, significantly broadened my knowledge of laboratory procedures, research papers, and experiments. This experience, combined with my broader exposure to biology, has shown me the beauty of this line of work. Each day in the laboratory brings new challenges, yet it is this constant ambiguity that fuels my motivation.
As a biology major at CMU, I am committed to furthering my curiosity by engaging with the extensive research opportunities and unique courses the university offers. I am particularly eager to contribute to cognitive biology labs to gain valuable experience, preparing me to conduct my own research in the future. Using computational models and neural data to investigate the underlying mechanisms of psychiatric disorders, with the goal of providing meaningful support deeply inspires me.