Have you selected a course of study? Are there any professors whose classes have changed or challenged you?
I came into The College fully intent on majoring in a hard science and pursuing the premed curriculum. Although that is the path I ultimately decided to pursue, I never could've imagined how much Dr. Rees' Human Being and Citizen class would affect the context in which I view myself as a student and an academic. I took his class over the summer through a program called CAAP, which is offered to incoming Odyssey Scholars as an opportunity to better prepare themselves for college and the rigor of UChicago specifically. That's exactly what Dr. Rees did for me. He didn't care if your ideas were correct, and he didn't care for thoughts that you didn't have to work to defend. He would show us a 20th century film in some foreign language, pause it at a random moment, and ask us questions like, "Why is her dress this shade of blue? What does that mean?" The truth is, he probably didn't know himself. He just wanted us to think in ways that sought out a deeper meaning without worrying about whether we'd be wrong. He only wanted us to focus on whether or not we made sense. Adopting this philosophy would serve invaluable in all of my future writing classes, but more importantly, it entirely changed the way I think about problems and questions I'm faced with both inside and outside the classroom. As a double major and premed student, I don't have many electives, but the ones I do have I plan on using to pursue other classes that may broaden my scope in a similar way, be they humanities classes or otherwise.
What activities are you involved with outside the classroom? Have you held any leadership roles in your extracurricular activities?
In my free time, I volunteer as a math tutor through the Neighborhood Schools program, serve as a substitute instructor for a standardized testing prep course for low-income high schoolers on the South Side, volunteer at UChicago Medicine, work as a research assistant, and serve as the Community Service chair for my residential hall. Through these experiences, I've gotten to mentor and learn from some of the best kids growing up in
some of the worst environments, organize fundraisers to sponsor families, led a book drive for the CCSA, and have gotten to interact with the South Side in all of the ways I hoped to when I applied to UChicago. Growing up, I used to look up to volunteers at the Boys and Girls Club. I used to get my books from local food pantries and my school clothes from families sponsoring us for Christmas. Right now, I'm on a full-ride scholarship. I am where I am today because of all the people that decided to care and take time out their day. I wouldn't have this chance without their generosity, and I'll never stop striving to make sure that I give as many kids as possible a chance, too.
What is your favorite UChicago memory or proudest achievement thus far?
My favorite UChicago memory is when I got to spend my summer at the Marine Biological Laboratory doing research with professors from Yale School of Medicine. Even if I spent 12 hours in the lab, I always knew as soon as I walked out I was free to grab my bike and ride until I couldn't feel my legs. The lab was connected to an 11-mile trail along the ocean, and I don't think I've ever felt as relaxed as I did those nights. Hopefully, I'll be able to say pretty soon that my proudest achievement is having my work from that summer published. The MBL has more that done its part to cement itself in my memory, however, and I'm forever grateful that I got the chance to experience it.
If you could speak directly to the person whose gift supported your scholarship, what would you say?
Whenever a family friend or relative calls me, they always tell me they're proud of me. A lot of them are manual laborers, some of them have children my age in jail, and few have their next paycheck guaranteed. They tell me I'm where I am today because I worked harder than everyone else, but although I work hard, I don't feel that I work harder than my father, who works in lawn care 90 hours a week, nor my mother, who still cleans houses on the side to support the family. I know that ultimately, I am where I am today because you decided to give me a chance. I really can't tell you what it means to me. You're the reason I have a chance to pursue a dream I've had since I came to the United States at the age of 5, to break the cycle of struggling that so long plagued my family, and to one day be able to give other kids like me a chance of their own.
