Whenever I am struggling with my classes and feel like giving up, I remember something I learned in my first semester of college: students with a growth mindset generally perform better than those with a fixed mindset. I don't remember the specifics, but I also remember my professor displayed the data that confirmed that claim. Although it's difficult to change your mindset, the more difficult part is putting in the effort to improve your understanding in that class. As a result, I devised a strategy to develop and maintain a growth mindset: I ask myself what I did wrong, then I come up with a plan to improve. Even if I receive a disappointing grade and feel angry, I always follow up my frustration with my strategy so I can at least make some progress to improve. Asking myself where I failed allows me to know where I need to improve, then I create a plan to address that issue: I can go to office hours, tutoring, or ask other students for help. I might overreact if I fail an assignment, but then I remember a poster from high school: FAIL stands for First Attempt In Learning.

To me, patience is important because it helps me discipline myself and forces me to focus on my studies. During high school, I would finish homework and other assignments as soon as possible because I wanted to spend more time playing video games. Despite scoring high grades on these assignments, I didn't learn anything in the long run since I used my notes as a guide and I didn't bother learning the subject. Additionally, since my grades were excellent, I did not study or attend tutoring because I assumed I understood the material. I tried the same strategy during my first semester of college, but I found myself performing worse than expected. To improve my grades, I devoted more time to my studies: I did my homework without looking at my notes and I began to study and attend office hours for assistance on topics I was struggling with. Aside from my grades improving, I also discovered that I remembered what I learned in class, even a year after I finished it. Although I occasionally struggle with it, I learned that I must be patient if I want to excel in college.

My favorite scientific discovery is the Mendelian laws of inheritance discovered by Gregor Mendel, which formed the foundation for modern genetics. While performing experiments with peas to test what is passed to future generations, Mendel discovered that, due to "invisible factors," offspring were more likely to inherit certain traits, called dominant, over other traits, called recessive. He also concluded that each offspring receives one trait from its parent, and traits pass to offspring independently. Over time, scientists would expand on the discoveries made by Mendel, such as non-Mendelian genetics, which describes inheritance that does not follow the laws of inheritance discovered by Mendel. However, I believe the most important contribution to Mendel's experiments was the discovery of genes, which were the "invisible factors" described by Mendel. Genes are a location on DNA that codes for a character, such as a shape or color. What makes genes so interesting is the specific code for each gene, called alleles, that determines the type of shape or color of an organism. Since alleles determine the phenotype of an organism, they are a critical concept any biologist must understand if they are to study evolution. Although ignored during his lifetime, Mendel discovered the basics of inheritance, and by proxy, the basics of evolution without using electron microscopes and other modern technology.

My main study strategy involves heavy usage of Cornell notes and flashcards, with my multiple study sessions distributed throughout the day. It all begins with taking Cornell-style notes during class, where I leave two sections blank: the bottom five lines are blank and about three inches on the left side of the paper are left blank. After class ends, I write in the blank spaces, where I use the bottom section to summarize the entire page in one or two sentences. In the blank section on the left side of the paper, I write practice questions and draw diagrams related to the notes on that page. After finishing my Cornell notes, I start working on flashcards to learn more specific topics. Whereas I use Cornell notes to study a topic in general, I use flashcards for learning equations and other specific topics, such as the Hardy-Weinberg criteria. Although this seems like a lot of work to do in a short period, I take a lot of breaks in between study sessions. I spend about thirty minutes working on Cornell notes, then I take a ten-minute break, then I work on flashcards for another thirty minutes. After finishing my flashcards, I take another ten-minute break, then I spend an hour studying by rewriting the question I wrote and writing the answer, then checking the flashcard to see if I'm correct. Aside from my notetaking, another useful study strategy is going to office hours. Rather than asking a question, I write multiple sentences regarding a topic, then I ask the professor or teaching assistant if my sentences are correct. If the professor hands out extra practice, I also check my answers during office hours. Although time-consuming, this strategy has been incredibly useful throughout my time in college.

Despite being an introvert, I have recently begun to enjoy studying and working on assignments with other students. Although I don't mind working alone, I have found that working with other students generally carries greater advantages: all students participating in the study session generally have a greater understanding of the subject, which results in better grades for that class. If I am having trouble with a specific topic, another student can clarify the subject for me, and I can do the same thing for another student who may be having trouble with another subject. What I also enjoy about study groups is that no one judges you for your perceived lack of knowledge, they assist you with whatever you need help with, no questions asked. I may be a bit awkward and stutter a lot, but I found that I now enjoy working with others, an especially important skill I will need for my science-based classes and in my future career as a researcher.

Whenever I feel lazy or want to give up, I remember one of the reasons why I entered college: to develop my skills and knowledge in the sciences. For as long as I can remember, I compared my grades and achievements to top students, and I would always believe my achievements were laughable compared to theirs. While I was struggling to score A's and B's, the top students seemed to achieve straight A's effortlessly and would somehow have the time for extracurricular activities. Since I saw myself as "inferior" to these students, I barely put any effort into my studies, fearing that I would fail if I put in the effort to succeed. Although I was content with how my life was going, I kept comparing myself to these top students, which only made me feel worse about myself. My attitude changed in high school when I randomly decided to put in the effort to earn as high a grade as possible in one of my assignments. Although I scored an A+, I thought it was a fluke and decided to do the same thing for another assignment. Once again, I scored an A+, then I decided to see how many times I can score an A+ for the rest of the year. I may not have scored as many perfect scores as I hoped, but overall I was satisfied with my attempts. I may not be a perfect student, but the fact I will improve in my respective field motivates me to continue attending college.

Although fictional, the most inspiring book I've read is My Name is Asher Lev by Chaim Potok. The novel follows the life of a Jewish boy named Asher Lev and his desire to pursue his passion for painting. Asher's father, Aryeh, heavily dislikes art and does everything in his power to discourage Asher from becoming an artist. Despite Aryeh's attempts to discourage him, Asher becomes a successful painter, even if it results in his parents shunning him. The reason why I find the novel so inspirational is because I have heavily related to Asher: I grew up in a religious household and I loved to draw when I was a child. Unlike Asher, my parents encouraged me to pursue my passions, even when my interests would change to the natural sciences and conflict with their religious beliefs. A few years ago, I did not want to go to college because I feared I would spend thousands of dollars for a useless degree. Even though I heavily related to Asher, I initially thought Asher became successful for the sole reason that he is a fictional character. However, I later discovered Asher is very similar to Potok: both were raised in religious households and both were discouraged from pursuing their passions. After some reflection, I realized that if Asher, and by extension Potok, could become successful without help from his parents, then I could become successful with the help of my parents.

I developed my appreciation for the natural world when I went to the Grand Canyon with my family when I was about six years old. As a Mexican American from Texas, I felt homesick because I was in another state, but my mother comforted me by explaining how Arizona was once part of Mexico, so I technically never left home. Once I arrived at the Grand Canyon, I felt as if I was transported to another world: the canyon itself seemed to go so deep into the Earth that I thought I could see Hades himself. The mountainous terrain and orange-brown color seemed so unnatural to me, as I was used to vegetation covering a smooth and even terrain. Although my interests later leaned towards human life, I appreciate nature for being another world that I have not explored. I enjoy walking around Austin and exploring the city, but I also try to do the same for nature. Despite the COVID-19 pandemic forcing me to stay home, I hope to one day continue my travels, both in cities and in nature.

It's been a while since I've read it, but my favorite book is the hard science fiction novel The Martian by Andy Weir. The book follows astronaut Mark Watney and his struggle for survival on Mars while scientists on Earth work to rescue him. Before reading this novel, I had lost the passion I once had for my science classes and preferred to spend my time playing video games. When my high school English teacher assigned our class to read The Martian, I expected to loathe the book since I thought it would focus too much on scientific accuracy rather than focusing on the story and characters. My low enthusiasm disappeared when I read the first page of the novel, where Mark Watney, despite being trapped on Mars and being the only person on the planet, uses vulgar language to comedically explain his impending doom. Although baffling to me at the time, I quickly appreciated how Weir makes intelligent characters who work in professional environments speak in informal tones. Another aspect I adore is the science explaining Watney's survival and rescue since it is just as entertaining as the story and characters. Since this novel is for a general audience, Weir makes sure to explain the science in a way most people can understand. However, since this is a science fiction novel, some of the science is incorrect. Despite its inaccuracies, this novel rekindled my interest in science and is partly the reason why I am in college right now.

To me, joy is intense happiness derived from anything you enjoy doing, from cooking to reading. While certain hobbies elevate me, such as playing video games or watching movies, I feel euphoric whenever I do those hobbies with someone else. Growing up, I was too afraid to speak with others since I feared they wouldn't like me, so it feels amazing when I can share my passion with someone else. Even participating in a study group brings me joy, since not only am I improving in my classes, but I am also connecting with students I would have never talked to under any other circumstances. Aside from sharing my passions with others, drawing is another thing that brings me bliss. During my childhood, I remember spending most of my days drawing, not having a care in the world, and depicting what's on my mind on a piece of paper. Although my classes have kept me very busy, I try my best to draw during my free time, where I occasionally feel the same sense of freedom I had during my childhood.

Growing up, I was too afraid to talk to others because I did not want to be labeled as an idiot, therefore I did not make a lot of friends in school. What also didn't help was that I moved a lot as a kid, attending three different elementary schools as I moved from Texas to Arizona, then back to Texas. As a result, I developed very poor communication skills, a skill I will have to master since I want to work in a scientific field. Initially, I was fine with this situation since I was more concerned with playing video games and watching movies. However, not talking to others for long periods made me feel unwanted and useless since I rarely contributed to a conversation. As dramatic as it sounds, I thought I was going to be alone forever until my mindset changed during my first year of college. Although it was terrifying at first, I found that talking to others became easier the more you do it. I may stutter a lot, but I am willing to suffer temporary humiliation if it means I can obtain a greater understanding of my classes and feel like I belong somewhere. By obtaining a greater understanding of my classes, my job as a biochemist becomes easier.

I appreciate everything I have because of the hard work my immigrant father put into ensuring me and my brother did not struggle as he did. My father was born to a family of fifteen or so kids, all of them having a father who never expressed his love to them. Since they lived on a farm, my grandparents forced my father to prioritize the farm over school, depriving him of his education. Despite his disadvantages, my father managed to go to college and earned a degree in accounting, which became useless once he immigrated to America and was forced to work in construction because he did not know English. As a result, my father did everything in his power to show his love for me and my brother: working fourteen-hour-long shifts to buy toys, video games, and junk food whenever my brother and I asked for it. Although I took it for granted back then, I recently began to cherish what my father endured to give me everything I have now. If it wasn't for him, I wouldn't be in college right now studying for a job that doesn't require backbreaking labor. I wouldn't have a laptop and general knowledge of the internet if it wasn't for my father. Thanks to my father, I was able to live comfortably during my childhood and teenage years, and I will be able to live comfortably for the rest of my life.

To ease my mind during stressful situations, I like to watch movies and TV shows for the same reason: their stories and characters. I love studying and college life in general, but I have the habit of focusing too much on academics, which results in me feeling down. As a result, movies and TV shows distract me from my current problems by having me focused on the problems of fictional people and how they solve them. Last year, I finished Breaking Bad, a show that, in my opinion, is so well written that I believe everyone should watch it at least once. Pulp Fiction, like Breaking Bad, has such good writing and acting that I did not see Samuel L. Jackson or Bryan Cranston, I saw their characters, Jules Winnfield and Walter White respectively. Although sometimes seen as childish, video games have recently seen an increase in writing quality that I believe is worth mentioning. Games such as Red Dead Redemption 2, The Last of Us, and God of War (2018) received much deserved praise for their writing that I wouldn't be surprised if video games would be seen as an art form sometime in the future. While these stories and characters may be fictional, they give me the illusion of realism that gives me something else to do aside from schoolwork.

A few years ago, I had to read "Never Let Me Go" by Kazuo Ishiguro and write an essay on it. Despite it being a science fiction novel, I detested the book since I found its characters and story boring. To make this assignment easier, I created a plan to read ten pages a day and make at least one annotation on each page. As motivation, I gave myself certain rewards after I read my ten pages: anything from extra time playing video games to buying myself donuts and other snacks. Although I struggled at first, I followed my schedule and I finished the novel in a month, and thanks to my annotations, I had an easier time writing my essay. I don't remember the specific grade I got, but I remember receiving a passing grade on the essay. Ever since I finished that assignment, I learned the importance of staying calm and creating a plan for a difficult assignment. Previously I wouldn't work on the assignment until the night before it was due, but now I create plans on when and how I work on my assignments.

During my childhood and teenage years, I was a timid student who was afraid of speaking my mind because I feared everyone might perceive me as foolish. My attitude changed during my first year of college when I discovered the importance of participating in discussions. I don't remember the specifics, but the gist of the lecture was that a diverse group is more likely to succeed and gain knowledge than a homogenous group. Specifically, the diverse group contains more people with different life experiences and therefore contains different ideas on how to approach a subject. Even if my approach is the "wrong" approach, I always give my opinion so that I can at least offer an alternative viewpoint to a subject that other group members might not have considered. Aside from giving my opinion, I always ask questions whenever I do not understand a specific idea. Since I feared everyone's perception of me, I always stayed quiet during lectures and never asked questions so that I would not be labeled as a class idiot. Over time, I noticed that the students who asked the most questions are the students with the greatest understanding of the subject. Once I began asking questions during lectures and office hours, I found myself having a greater understanding, which resulted in higher grades. As a result, I now ask the professor any questions I have, no matter how trivial the question.

One characteristic I inherited from my mother is the tendency to assist people with anything they need help with. Growing up, I would always help my parents with everything I possibly could, from washing the dishes to mowing the lawn. Although children are expected to do chores around the house, this trait of mine was still present in school. Whenever my friends would ask for help on a subject, I would always help them. Additionally, students I barely knew would sometimes ask for my aid, where I would once again assist them. In college, I took my characteristic of helping to the next level when I joined a group chat for each of my classes. Group chats allowed students to ask questions and get an answer almost instantly, where I did my fair share of participation. Even for something more complicated such as projects, I was able to organize a zoom meeting with another student, where we gave each other feedback so we would both achieve a greater understanding of the subject and achieve higher grades in doing so.

In the past few years, the most significant concept I learned was to divide all my assignments into smaller pieces and work on those pieces at separate times throughout the day. In hindsight, that sounds like common sense, but I never followed that idea until I was in my junior year of high school. Once I began to divide my assignments into smaller pieces, I found that those assignments became significantly easier and my grades began to improve. I love that strategy so much that I still use it today in college and for other non-academic-related tasks. Similarly, I found that creating a schedule for myself helped make learning much easier. In my first semester of college, one of my professors taught me to create a schedule for the week, but she also stressed the importance of working on the same topic at the same time of day for each day of the week. I do not remember the exact science, but if I were to study biology at 6:00 pm each day, my brain would program itself to have an easier time learning biology during that time of the day. College life is not easy, but at least I can find ways to make it easier for myself.

My definition of confidence is being skilled or knowledgeable in a subject so that others can trust you with a certain task related to that subject. Additionally, a confident person excels in their field so much that they do not need to look up information in a book or on the internet. A confident person is also aware of their capabilities and therefore is willing to assist anyone who asks for help without berating that person. The reason why I believe a confident student helps the less knowledgeable is due to my experiences growing up. As a timid student, I was too afraid to ask for help from other students since I thought they might see me as foolish for asking for help. To an extent, I was fine with that since I aimed for the bare minimum to pass my classes. As I began to care more for my education, I realized that to excel, I needed to seek help from tutors and other students. Now that I am in college, I began building my confidence by asking for others for help, that way I can eventually help other students who might have the same mindset that I used to have.

College life is difficult, and whenever I feel like giving up, I look to parents, specifically their life stories as immigrants, for motivation. My mother was born to a poor family that was unable to buy school lunches, so she was envious when the other students were eating their lunch around her. Similarly, my father grew up on a poor farm with a family who never told him they loved him. To top it all off, they both faced heavy discrimination when they came to America and they both worked as hard as possible to make sure my brother and I would never struggle as they did. I always knew of my parents and their tough lives, but I always took their hard work for granted. As I grew older, I began to appreciate their efforts, and even though I might not be able to pay them back all the money they spent on me, I can at least express my gratitude to them by graduating from UT Austin. Aside from my parents, another factor that serves to motivate me is diseases like diabetes and COVID-19. My family has a history of diabetes, which began my fascination with learning how to cure diseases, and my interest later increased around the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic. Now that I am in college, I have a greater reason to pay attention to my science-based classes, using my education to help reduce some suffering in the world.

One experience that shaped how I am today was in 2016 when I went on a field trip to UT Austin. The field trip would last most of the school day, and the one criteria we needed to have were pretty high grades in a specific class. Since I was a lazy student who achieved high grades without trying, I signed up for the field trip to miss out on a couple of classes. Once my class arrived at UT Austin, I was astonished by the magnitude of the campus. It all seemed so alien to me, thousands of students enthusiastic about their classes and learning to change the world. I loved exploring the campus, but sometime later, our class had to attend a lecture about wires, which I was expecting to hate. For some reason, I thoroughly enjoyed the lecture even though I had no interest in the subject. We returned to our high school after the lecture ended, but my short time at UT Austin stuck with me ever since. Before the trip, I was an unambitious student who was not planning on going to college and desired only the bare minimum to pass my classes. After the trip, I gained three things: the desire to learn, motivation for higher grades, and to one day attend UT Austin. Five years later, I became a UT Austin student learning as much as I can about biochemistry, and while I may not be the top student in the university, I am satisfied with my A's and B's.

Being a Texan is described perfectly by the meaning of the word Texas: friendship. Texans assist each other no matter how difficult the situation. Whether it's something as trivial as crossing the road, to something more important such as paying for student loans, Texans are always there to help each other out. Another important aspect of being a Texan is its blending of American and Mexican culture. As a Mexican American myself, I felt like an outsider during my brief time at a mostly white school in Arizona, where my Mexican culture made me feel like an alien. Similarly, I also felt the same way when I traveled to Mexico since I felt I was "too American" for the Mexican population. Although this mixture of cultures can be found in other border states, they do not have the same amiable attitude present in the Lone Star State.