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Aissata Balde

1255

Bold Points

1x

Finalist

1x

Winner

Bio

The unknown has always intrigued me. Hence, my interest in science( specifically biology). My goal in this life is to have the financial means to be able to put myself through undergrad and Medical school. So that one day I can get my MD and be able to open a non-profit in Africa.

Education

George Washington High School

High School
2022 - 2024

Miscellaneous

  • Desired degree level:

    Doctoral degree program (PhD, MD, JD, etc.)

  • Majors of interest:

    • Medicine
    • Biological and Biomedical Sciences, Other
    • Biology, General
  • Planning to go to medical school
  • Career

    • Dream career field:

      Biology

    • Dream career goals:

      To have explored different fields of biology.

      Research

      • Microbiological Sciences and Immunology

        PennLENS — Worked on the localization of Gasdermin D during a salmonella infection.
        2023 – 2023

      Future Interests

      Advocacy

      Volunteering

      Philanthropy

      Sean Flynn Memorial Scholarship
      Winner
      The world is full of liars, and yes, I am talking about all the adults in the room. Adults are the biggest liars, not just because a majority of them work in car dealerships and sell Bitcoin, but because they are the people with the knowledge that sets up our expectations. My uncle told me high school would be the best years of my life, and I believed him because he had attended 4 years of it, which is enough years to get a bachelor's in anything. I asked a couple more adults and they told me the same thing, so I had no reason to not look forward to it. The adults had gotten me to a point where I was like, “Oh puberty and changes? That sounds like a great time!” Unfortunately, my first day of high school was virtual because of Covid. I didn't know it then, but the world had worked in my favor. I had gotten to skip the year where you were the newbies everyone looked down on, the newbies who got lost on a daily basis, and the newbies who were intimidated by everyone and everything. Sophomore year rolled around and my parents decided to put me in Virtual School because COVID was still a concern, talk about dodging another bullet! But at this point, I wanted to go to a real school because the adults had made me anticipate the social aspect of high school, the sports that they were forever proud of, and the growth that they had experienced. Unfortunately, that would all come down to my first real day of high school, which would be my junior year. I'd been looking forward to this day for 3 years. All of that anticipation that these adults had helped me build came down to this very moment. So guess what great and astronomically out of this world's moment happened to me on my first day of real high school? Nothing! My first day of high school was okay and I was like, “ Oh, this isn’t bad.” But one month later, I could’ve sworn I was going to the circus. I woke up early every morning just to be punctual at the circus. Do you know how hypocritical that is? Nobody at the circus is punctual, not even the clowns. Another thing no one told me about is that a lot of people don't come to the circus to learn because they believe they are going to end up in the streets or end up working at McDonald's. What are you going to do with AP English at McDonalds? The funniest thing about my high school experience was that my high school was understaffed. If you don't know what that means it basically means that the teachers run the school. Because what are they going to do? Fire you for doing the bare minimum and having 30 students be teacherless. I think some of you may have already caught the joke. Because when I confronted my uncle he laughed, "We didn't lie to you. We just weren't talking about public school! " * I read this over with several teachers and my Principal to make sure it's not offensive to anyone. But they have all basically told me the same thing, the truth shouldn't be offensive and humor will always be subjective.