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Courses- Fall 2019:
CHEM 119- Fundamentals of Chemistry I (Dr. Ryan Bethel)
STAT 302- Statistical Methods (Dr. Irma Hernandez-Magallanes)
HLTH 236- Race, Ethnicity, & Health (Dr. Dominique Williams)
KINE 199- Self Defense (Teri Wenzel)
Courses- Spring 2020:
CHEM 120- Fundamentals of Chemistry II (Dr. Ryan Bethel)
BIOL 111- Introductory Biology I (Dr. Angela Hawkins)
ENDS 101 (H)- Design Process (Dr. Rodney Hill)
PHLT 302- Fundamentals of Public Health (Dr. Gilbert Ramirez)
Organizations:
Memorial Student Center Freshmen In Service & Hosting (MSC FISH) Sub-Committee: MSC WAVES Sub-Sub-Committee: Marketing and Materials Family: Sippin' Sunny With My Hunny Total Hours of Community Service: 38 hours
Aggie Icers Committee: Banquet Games Attended: 6
Texas A&M National Scholar Ambassadors (TANSA) Total Hours Served: 7
Opportunities for Next Year
Research: Dr. Michael Golding's Lab Emailed on own initiative
Internship: Center for Pediatric Population Health, Dallas, TX Utilized network connections through Brown Foundation
Leadership: Aggie Icers Banquet Chair Elected by organization members
This year has been memorable and exciting. My courses this past year have been refreshers of previous information I had learned in my pre-AP and AP courses in high school while applying it at a higher level. I was thankful that my high school had such great teachers that it was a seamless transition from AP courses to college level courses.
I'm glad I joined different organizations on campus. I believe each organization offered something unique in my portfolio. MSC FISH allowed me to grow closer to others in my class while serving our community. Aggie Icers allowed me to explore my love for hockey while strengthening the bonds of sisterhood. TANSA allowed me to promote this campus I hold so dear to others and convince other National Scholars like me to experience the magic of Aggieland.
Dealing with the COVID-19 epidemic has definitely been an interesting development. The transition to online classes was pretty tough, especially for CHEM 120 and BIOL 111. It was definitely chaotic and confusing the week before classes re-started. Nobody knew how labs would be conducted and whether professors would continue to hold live sessions online or upload pre-recorded lectures. My dad and I traveled back to College Station in mid-March to move as much of my possessions out as we could. We cleaned out most of the dorm but had to leave a few items behind to retrieve at a later time when the epidemic had, hopefully, died down a bit. As of mid-April, the plan is to drive down after finals to pick up the last bit of stuff. As we started classes online, retention of material has been the most difficult problem for me. I set a schedule for myself to organize my work and regain some sense of normality, but it is fairly difficult to conduct business as normal from the comforts of your childhood bedroom.
I am especially excited for the opportunities over summer and next year. The research internship with CPP will be my first glance into how a center devoted to research on a specific public health field operates. I have worked on social science research before (the paper is in the revision stages!!), but that was pure research. Hopefully this summer will expose me to writing and I get to observe actual research through human interaction occur. I am thrilled that I already secured a position at a research lab on campus. I am so excited to gain more knowledge in the field of reproductive health, and I know this experience is going to be fulfilling. With what I've already learned about genetics and epigenetics in BIOL 111, I can't wait to see them applied in reality and learn about scientific research.
Being elected as the Banquet Chair for the Aggie Icers is an incredible honor. I am so excited to work with my sisters and celebrate them along with the boys at the end of the season in 2021. I had so much fun working with Katie, my Banquet chair this year, on Banquet when trying to find location, secure tablecloths, and pick up the food the night of.
Overall, these experiences are just the beginning of what will develop me into a young, professional adult. My courses will contribute to giving me a depth of knowledge. I'll be able to apply my scientific knowledge and public health knowledge in graduate school and in my career to help solve problems regarding reproductive health. The research I participate in is to my advantage in two ways. I purposely selected scientific research during the school year and public health research in the summer to get exposed to both of the disciplinaries and have expertise in both. The leadership positions will help develop me into the leader I know I am capable of. Being involved in a diverse range of organizations helps me with networking, communication, and gives me some time to relax and not worry about my academics.