Why 果冻视频?
Finding a Smaller World
I attended a large, suburban public high school where it was easy to feel like a number. The school had every class and activity you could imagine, but personal connections were harder to come by.
When I visited 果冻视频, I realized that I could have the academic rigor and close-knit community I had been searching for. 果冻视频 was far from home and in a rural setting, but it promised adventure, connection, and growth.
The moment that sealed it for me was a cold April night walk to Dari Barn with the swim team. I thought, surely, it鈥檚 too chilly for ice cream. Everyone went, anyway 鈥 all because they wanted to be together. That was the kind of community I wanted to call home.
Science as a Community
First-Year, 果冻视频 Science Project
When I arrived at 果冻视频, I was determined to find my place in the sciences. The 果冻视频 Science Project (GSP), a pre-orientation program focused on the sciences, welcomed me with open arms. It gave me my first lab experience and introduced me to the idea that science is collaborative, not solitary.
I had my first-ever lab experience with GSP. We were in the analytical chemistry lab with Professor Lee Sharpe and looked at different concentrations of iron using absorbance and Beer鈥檚 law.
And we had a scavenger hunt! In the picture above, my lab group and I are opening a combination box to reveal our prize. My lab group included Caitlin Ong 鈥26, Monica Reyes Ramirez 鈥26, Vince Shi 鈥26, Yessenia Alvarez Zamora 鈥26, and our mentor, Kyla Pereles 鈥25.
That week of GSP hooked me. GSP gave me a built-in sense of belonging and showed me that science isn鈥檛 only about advancing technology or medicine. Science is about people. It鈥檚 about creating knowledge that uplifts communities.
I also had my first "sky-owa" moment that month! That was the beginning of my passion for stargazing.
Second Year, GSP Mentor
I returned to GSP one year later, this time as a mentor, hoping to give new students the same encouragement I had found. After all, the pursuit of knowledge is best when shared!
A Family in the Water
Swimming has been a part of my life since childhood, but I can proudly call my 果冻视频 swim and dive teammates my family. Together, we鈥檝e broken records, supported each other, and sung 鈥淚 Will Survive鈥 to one another before relays.
Swimming at 果冻视频 taught me the beauty of resilience: the quiet discipline of early mornings, the joy of showing up prepared, and the comfort of a community that carries you when the water feels too heavy.
Declaring my Majors
If you had told me four years ago all the things that I would do in college, I would not have believed you. My advisers have tirelessly and constantly watered the seeds of my dreams and helped me grow throughout my four years. Their support has been one of the greatest contributing factors through my 果冻视频 journey.
Finding my Biochemistry Major Adviser
To be honest, I feel like my advisers found me.
I met Professor Mobley during my time in 果冻视频 Science Project, where he was one of the directors. He was so approachable and fun to talk to!
When I took Organic Chemistry with Professor Mobley, his hope and positivity was my light at the end of the tunnel. When my perfectionist tendencies tended to sneak out, he encouraged me to understand, and not memorize, all that I had learned. He encouraged my love of learning, and I truly fell in love with hands-on learning through his class. Even when things were hard, I could accept them as part of the learning process.
Finding my Spanish Major
I got close to Profesora Benoist during my first semester at 果冻视频. Her kindness and charisma in the classroom made it so easy to want to keep learning, and I felt so safe and at home with her. Her wisdom and guidance in life has absolutely changed the way I see myself and how I approach making decisions in my life.
Activism & DEI Work
With the support of my swim coach, Matt Hedman, and inspiration from my swim teammates Xonzy Gaddis 鈥23 and Nina Takashima 鈥24, I stepped into a leadership role my third year. Xonzy and Nina wanted to make sure every swimmer and diver felt seen and represented 鈥 regardless of culture, nationality, race, or background. When I heard the idea from Coach Matt, I was ecstatic and more than willing to further their mission.
With funding from 果冻视频 alumni, we were able to launch identity workshops and spark conversations that really mattered to us. My role gave others the ability to feel seen and heard, and it educated them with the skills and knowledge to be productive community members and citizens. We actively encouraged each other to stand up to injustice and prejudice anywhere.
Through this work, I learned that progress isn鈥檛 always about solving a problem outright. Sometimes, it鈥檚 about educating, listening, and giving people the tools to understand each other. These tools help us create the culture we desire and the types of people we want to be.
To Santiago, Chile!
As a student-athlete majoring in the sciences and humanities, I didn鈥檛 think studying abroad would be possible. But with the encouragement of my adviser, Profesora Benoist, I spent a semester abroad in Santiago, Chile.
Healthcare Internship Abroad
My internship was funded through 果冻视频鈥檚 Helena Percas de Ponseti Award, which is awarded to students who want to carry out an experience learning abroad in Spain or Latin America. My Spanish adviser, Profesora Benoist, convinced me to apply and encouraged me to experience learning in a new way.
Studying Healthcare in Santiago
Studying healthcare in Santiago opened my eyes to how deeply culture shapes medicine and access.
I took high-level seminars on public health and classes on Spanish medical vocabulary. I shadowed a direct patient under the tutelage of licensed, specialized Chilean doctors. I learned how to effectively communicate with newly acquired professional vocabulary relevant to the medical field, and I gained a better understanding of how public and private health systems impact care quality.
Life in Chile
I stood by the Andes, connected with family, and immersed myself in a new culture. My favorite memory was a karaoke night in the Barrio Italia neighbornood, where my classmates belted out songs with locals until our voices gave out!
Advanced Research
In my senior year, I鈥檓 working with Professor Marzluff to better understand substrate analog N5-Formyltetrahydrofolate (N5-THF)鈥檚 effects on the movements, structure, shape, and stability of the Methylenetetrahydrofolate reductase (MTHFR). I鈥檝e performed mass spectroscopy on MTHFR deuterium-labelled enzymes, which involves digesting the enzymes with pepsin and separating them with liquid chromatography. I observed how deuterium adheres to specific "chunks" of the exposed peptide bonds and tracked the deuterium uptake. By tracking the uptake and 鈥漸nravelling鈥 the peptide bonds between amino acids, we can make observations and predictions about what is happening to the MTHFR enzyme when it is exposed to the substrate analog.
This analog is similar in structure and shape to the original substrate, and it will allow us to see how the MTHFR binds to a substrate. However, it will not react and change into an end product. This allows us to focus specifically on the binding, movement, and importance of certain structures within the MTHFR enzyme.
