“You have given me the tools to someday change the lives of others in the same way that you have changed mine.”
How have you been enjoying your major? Are there any professors whose classes have changed or challenged you?
I absolutely love my major. I’m in the biological sciences program and I was lucky enough to have the opportunity to take the advanced biology sequence and I have learned so much because of it. It has allowed me to take biology electives earlier than many of my peers. I was able to take a class from Esmael Haddadian on bioinformatics and it was absolutely the best course I’ve taken at UChicago thus far. It forced me to engage with science in a way that I hadn’t been exposed to before and has inspired me to pursue a career in bioinformatics/biostatistics after graduation.
What activities are you involved with outside the classroom? Have you had any leadership roles in your extracurriculars?
In terms of Greek life I am involved in the Delta Gamma sorority as well as the Alpha Phi Omega coeducational community service fraternity. I also am on the club fencing team here and participate in the collegiate non-competitive sector of Model UN. I have worked as a tour guide in the admissions office since the winter of my first year and I have worked in a research lab since the winter of my second year. I am currently one of the most senior undergraduate members of my lab and have begun working on my final thesis project that will hopefully be included in published works from our lab in the future.
How do you expect to spend your last summer as a UChicago student?
I will be spending this last summer in my research lab working on my thesis project. It specifically involves using high power computing and statistical analysis to determine the regulation and expression features of a set of genes that have been proven to alter circadian rhythm presentation in mice. I will also likely be working on some behavior experiments as well that examine the effect of circadian rhythms and gut microbiota on mental illnesses such as depression and anxiety.
If you could speak directly to the person whose gift supported your scholarship, what would you say?
Thank you so much. Without this scholarship I wouldn’t be able to pursue the things I’m passionate about with peers and mentors that share that passion. Without this scholarship I wouldn’t have met my best friends. Without this scholarship I wouldn’t have gained a supportive family at UChicago. And without this scholarship I wouldn’t have discovered my passion for the research that I do. This is particularly important to me because research at UChicago has changed the way I think about myself. It has given me so much more confidence in my abilities, it’s given me an increased curiosity about the world around me, and it’s given me career opportunities that I never would’ve considered before. I would like you to know that you have changed my life in ways that I will never be able to completely express in words. You have given me the tools to someday change the lives of others in the same way that you have changed mine. I am sincerely grateful and will continue to be for the rest of my life. Thank you.
