It was a sunny Tuesday morning in September when I walked into my first period class. I had Effective Leadership for first period, which was a class/club where students learned leadership qualities and how to apply those qualities to our lives and the real world. Sometimes, my teacher would ask a guest speaker to come in and speak to us, and it was one of those days. This specific guest speaker appeared to be a nice and polite woman. She looked very put together and professional. During her time in our class, she had my class play a game. She would write a phrase on the board, and we, the students, had to say what the first thing that popped into our minds was. My classmates and I were a little confused about where the direction of this exercise was headed, but we were still a little excited to try out what the speaker said would be a “fun game”. The first phrase the guest speaker wrote on the board was “drinks a lot”. Immediately, all our thoughts went to alcoholism and what a stereotypical alcoholic looks and acts like. This continued for about ten minutes where she would use phrases like “A person’s significant other who goes to jail a lot” and “A person who works on street corners” etc. Every single time without fail, we, as a class, always used negative adjectives and stereotypes based on these descriptions the speaker gave us. After we settled down for her last description, she pauses and asks the whole class a question. She asked, “What if all these descriptions were about the same person?” My classmates and I all agreed that the specific person must have such a rough life. The guest speaker then asks us another question, “What if that person was me?” The room went quiet as we all stared at her in slight shock, pity, and guilt at her question. We all said these hurtful, stereotypical things about her without even realizing it. However, she surprised us once again. She corrected us by saying how she “drinks a lot” because she always refills her water bottle frequently. The whole point of the exercise was to show how we automatically judged a person’s life without even knowing what they looked like, and how that is very hurtful not only to others, but ourselves. The guest speaker’s exercise helped me realize my own faults when it comes to judging a book by its cover. It changed my perspective on how I shouldn’t immediately judge an individual’s lifestyle but try to understand and lend a helping hand when needed.

It was a sunny Tuesday morning in September when I walked into my first period class. I had Effective Leadership for first period, which was a class/club where students learned leadership qualities and how to apply those qualities to our lives and the real world. Sometimes, my teacher would ask a guest speaker to come in and speak to us, and it was one of those days. This specific guest speaker appeared to be a nice and polite woman. She looked very put together and professional. During her time in our class, she had my class play a game. She would write a phrase on the board, and we, the students, had to say what the first thing that popped into our minds was. My classmates and I were a little confused about where the direction of this exercise was headed, but we were still a little excited to try out what the speaker said would be a “fun game”. The first phrase the guest speaker wrote on the board was “drinks a lot”. Immediately, all our thoughts went to alcoholism and what a stereotypical alcoholic looks and acts like. This continued for about ten minutes where she would use phrases like “A person’s significant other who goes to jail a lot” and “A person who works on street corners” etc. Every single time without fail, we, as a class, always used negative adjectives and stereotypes based on these descriptions the speaker gave us. After we settled down for her last description, she pauses and asks the whole class a question. She asked, “What if all these descriptions were about the same person?” My classmates and I all agreed that the specific person must have such a rough life. The guest speaker then asks us another question, “What if that person was me?” The room went quiet as we all stared at her in slight shock, pity, and guilt at her question. We all said these hurtful, stereotypical things about her without even realizing it. However, she surprised us once again. She corrected us by saying how she “drinks a lot” because she always refills her water bottle frequently. The whole point of the exercise was to show how we automatically judged a person’s life without even knowing what they looked like, and how that is very hurtful not only to others, but ourselves. The guest speaker’s exercise helped me realize my own faults when it comes to judging a book by its cover. It changed my perspective on how I shouldn’t immediately judge an individual’s lifestyle but try to understand and lend a helping hand when needed.

The seasons of life are mirrored throughout nature with certain timeframes bearing fruit, removing nutrients, and even lying dormant until it’s time to begin the cycle again. Similarly, to the cycles the Earth encounters, life has a way of turning things around when you're at your lowest point. I’ve been blessed with a family that’s loving, caring, and accepting of me along with my varying endeavors. As I’ve grown into my own interests, nuances and habits the experiences that came with them have forever formulated me into a young adult that I am proud of. A turning point in my life occurred when I was in kindergarten and my mother was diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis, a neurological disease that attacks the myelin sheath, causing miscommunication between your brain and the rest of your body. Not only was this diagnosis a major shock to our entire family but this also interrupted the understanding that I originally had of my mother; her mannerisms, personality and even mentality began to shift as she tried to find a new equilibrium in life. Not to mention that soon after this diagnosis my parents faced a divorce that tore at the very peace our home had as a foundational block. It felt like my world was falling apart all the while I tried grasping onto any kind of normalcy forcing me into an even deeper state of despair. Thankfully, I have three older sisters that filled special roles in my life to aid in the growth of who I aimed to be. My eldest sister focused primarily on being confident within myself and my body while disregarding the opinions of others while my second oldest sister emphasized treating others with sincerity and a calming level of respect. Lastly, the sister whose age is right above mines tried to ensure that I still enjoyed my childhood with fun movies like Barbie’s The Princess and the Pauper as well as playing Bad Girls Club with my dolls in their Barbie dreamhouse. Even though this time of my life was tumultuous, filled with tears and uncertainty, I look upon these memories fondly because the love shown to me was intentionally given without any restrictions. With these experiences at the forefront of my mind I plan on pursuing a field of study that focuses on the building blocks of diseases and illnesses, which is genetics. Through genetic research, new medicines and technologies can be developed that can potentially eradicate Cancers, Neurological disorders and even the common Cold. Seeing my mother suffer with a disease uniquely linked to her genetics without a cure in the foreseeable future created a drive in me to find hope in medicine for not only my mother but others like her around the world. Taking into account ethnic history, geographical placement along with nutrition, genetic research has the potential to compete with stem cell research and achieve ethical results. With confidence, love, and sincerity I can say that I am proud of who I’ve become with the assistance of my family and I’m looking forward to who I’ll transform into as I work towards becoming a Genetic Researcher searching for the answers to medical enigmas.

The seasons of life are mirrored throughout nature with certain timeframes bearing fruit, removing nutrients, and even lying dormant until it’s time to begin the cycle again. Similarly, to the cycles the Earth encounters, life has a way of turning things around when you're at your lowest point. I’ve been blessed with a family that’s loving, caring, and accepting of me along with my varying endeavors. As I’ve grown into my own interests, nuances and habits the experiences that came with them have forever formulated me into a young adult that I am proud of. A turning point in my life occurred when I was in kindergarten and my mother was diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis, a neurological disease that attacks the myelin sheath, causing miscommunication between your brain and the rest of your body. Not only was this diagnosis a major shock to our entire family but this also interrupted the understanding that I originally had of my mother; her mannerisms, personality and even mentality began to shift as she tried to find a new equilibrium in life. Not to mention that soon after this diagnosis my parents faced a divorce that tore at the very peace our home had as a foundational block. It felt like my world was falling apart all the while I tried grasping onto any kind of normalcy forcing me into an even deeper state of despair. Thankfully, I have three older sisters that filled special roles in my life to aid in the growth of who I aimed to be. My eldest sister focused primarily on being confident within myself and my body while disregarding the opinions of others while my second oldest sister emphasized treating others with sincerity and a calming level of respect. Lastly, the sister whose age is right above mines tried to ensure that I still enjoyed my childhood with fun movies like Barbie’s The Princess and the Pauper as well as playing Bad Girls Club with my dolls in their Barbie dreamhouse. Even though this time of my life was tumultuous, filled with tears and uncertainty, I look upon these memories fondly because the love shown to me was intentionally given without any restrictions. With these experiences at the forefront of my mind I plan on pursuing a field of study that focuses on the building blocks of diseases and illnesses, which is genetics. Through genetic research, new medicines and technologies can be developed that can potentially eradicate Cancers, Neurological disorders and even the common Cold. Seeing my mother suffer with a disease uniquely linked to her genetics without a cure in the foreseeable future created a drive in me to find hope in medicine for not only my mother but others like her around the world. Taking into account ethnic history, geographical placement along with nutrition, genetic research has the potential to compete with stem cell research and achieve ethical results. With confidence, love, and sincerity I can say that I am proud of who I’ve become with the assistance of my family and I’m looking forward to who I’ll transform into as I work towards becoming a Genetic Researcher searching for the answers to medical enigmas.