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Elle Guarracino

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Finalist

General information

Hobbies & Interests

  • YouTube
  • Advocacy And Activism
  • Anatomy
  • Animals
  • Art History
  • Biochemistry
  • Biomedical Sciences
  • Biotechnology
  • Cinematography
  • Clinical Psychology
  • Coffee
  • Comedy
  • Collecting
  • Conservation
  • Concerts
  • Cooking
  • Greek
  • Ethics
  • Philosophy
  • DECA
  • Liberal Arts and Humanities
  • Genetics
  • Latin
  • Mental Health

Bio

Hi! I’m a high school senior from New Jersey who loves learning for the sake of learning. I don’t think I’ve ever stopped asking “why,” and that curiosity has shaped almost everything I do. It all started with a children’s book about the human body. Out of every page, I kept coming back to the one about the eye. I was fascinated that something so small could let us experience the world. That curiosity grew into my eye education page, Vitreous Humor, where I share facts about ophthalmology and eye health. Along the way, my interest in eyes expanded into bigger questions about human consciousness, ethics, and why we experience the world the way we do. At school, my favorite class has been Modern European History because I love exploring the ideas that shaped history. I also enjoy philosophy and Latin, and I’m involved in DECA, Academic Decathlon, Science Olympiad, Photography Club, and Latin Club. Outside the classroom, I love giving back to my community. One of my favorite traditions is ending each school year with The Twirl Project, where we collect donated prom dresses so girls in need can experience prom in a dress they love. When I’m not studying or volunteering, I’m usually creating content for my eye page, driving with music on, or reading about whatever topic has captured my curiosity next. I hope I never stop asking “why.” It has led me to some of my favorite experiences, and I hope it continues to shape the person I become.

Education

Ramapo High School

High School

2023 – 2027

Miscellaneous

Desired degree level:
Doctoral degree program (PhD, MD, JD, etc.)
Majors of interest:
Philosophy, Neurobiology and Neurosciences, Microbiological Sciences and Immunology, Religion/Religious Studies
Desired degree modality:
Full-Time, In-Person
Medical school interest:
Yes

Career

  • Lead Sales Associate + Social Media Manager

    Apparel & Fashion · Bella & Love Boutique

    Jan 2021 – Present

Miscellaneous

Dream career field:
Medicine
Work experience:
6 years
Has nursing license:
No

Future Interests

  • Advocacy
  • Volunteering
  • Philanthropy
  • Entrepreneurship
Robert F. Lawson Fund for Careers that Care
When I was in third grade, someone gave me a children’s anatomy book. Most kids probably would have flipped through every page. I barely looked at any of them except one: the human eye. I remember reading that page over and over again. I wanted to know how something so small could let us experience the entire world. Years later, I still haven’t stopped asking why. That curiosity has shaped almost every part of my life. I started an eye blog where I research vision, the brain, neuroscience, and how perception influences the way we experience the world. The more I learn, the more fascinated I become. My interest in the eye has even led me into philosophy, where I’ve found myself asking bigger questions about ethics, consciousness, and what it means to be human. To me, science isn’t a collection of facts. It’s an endless opportunity to ask better questions. One day, I hope to become a pediatric ophthalmologist. I’ve already named my dream clinic “Kiddie Eyes.” I picture colorful walls, oversized glasses decorating the waiting room, and a place where children walk in feeling curious instead of scared. I want every child to leave understanding a little more about their own eyes and feeling excited about taking care of them. My desire to make a positive impact extends beyond medicine. Throughout high school, I’ve looked for opportunities to serve my community. I volunteer through Interact Club, and each spring I help with the Twirl Project, where donated prom dresses are given to girls who otherwise might not have one. Watching someone smile because they found a dress they love reminds me that kindness doesn’t have to be dramatic to change someone’s day. One of my biggest inspirations has been my mom. As a single mother, she built her own children’s clothing store from the ground up. I watched years of hard work turn into a business that now serves families in our community. Seeing her refuse to give up on her dream taught me that meaningful work takes patience, resilience, and genuine care for other people. Her example is the reason I believe my own dream is possible. I don’t want to make a positive impact by simply treating eye conditions. I want to make children feel comfortable, answer their endless questions, contribute to research that improves vision care, and help families through some of their most stressful moments. If I can leave every patient feeling a little less afraid and a little more understood than when they walked in, I’ll know I’ve chosen the right career. It all started with a single page in a children’s anatomy book. I never imagined that one illustration would shape the rest of my life, but it taught me something I’ll always carry with me: curiosity has the power to become purpose, and purpose has the power to change lives.
Stewart Family Legacy Scholarship
I never stop asking why. That habit started in third grade with a children’s anatomy book. I remember flipping through almost every page without much interest until I reached the one about the human eye. Something clicked. I reread that page over and over again until it eventually fell out of the book. While most kids moved on to another interest, I didn’t. The more I learned about the eye, the more I wanted to understand what was behind it. How does the brain transform light into sight? Why do people experience the world differently? What is consciousness? Every answer gave me another question. To me, that’s how science moves forward. Leadership in science isn’t about being the smartest person in the room. It’s about having the curiosity to ask questions nobody has answered yet, and the determination to keep looking for those answers. I hope to become that kind of leader. Today, I run an eye blog where I research vision and its connection to the brain, perception, and consciousness. In college, I want to study biology while exploring neuroscience and philosophy because I believe the biggest discoveries happen when different fields meet. I want to work with professors whose research pushes medicine forward, and eventually contribute research of my own. One day, I hope to become a pediatric ophthalmologist and open my own clinic, Kiddie Eyes. I picture colorful glasses covering the walls and children feeling excited rather than nervous as they walk through the door. But I don’t want my impact to stop with the patients I treat. I want to help answer questions that improve how we understand vision and develop better treatments for future generations. I’ve also learned what leadership looks like by watching my mom. Years ago, owning a children’s dress boutique was only a dream. I watched her spend years working toward it until that dream became reality. She taught me that meaningful work begins with believing in an idea long before anyone else can see it. I think science is much the same. Every breakthrough starts with someone who refuses to stop asking why. My dream began with a single page in a children’s anatomy book. I hope my education gives me the knowledge to turn that curiosity into discoveries, compassionate care, and a future where more children see the world a little more clearly.
Frank and Nelcie Williams Memorial Scholarship
I see red carpets, huge open doors, and walls covered in eyeglasses. Opaque pink. Glittery blue. Ovals, squares, octagons. This is my dream, and I haven’t stopped thinking about it since third grade. I call it “Kiddie Eyes,” my future pediatric ophthalmology clinic. People always expect there to be some huge reason I became obsessed with eyes. There isn’t. It all started with a children’s anatomy book that was gifted to me in elementary school. I remember flipping through almost every page without much care until I reached the page on the human eye. I stopped there. I reread it over and over again. Somehow, one page was enough to spark something that’s never left me. As I’ve gotten older, my curiosity has only grown. At first I wanted to understand the eye. Then I wanted to understand why we see what we see. That led me to the brain, perception, consciousness, philosophy, ethics, and psychology. I never stop asking why. I run an eye blog where I research vision and its connection to the brain because I genuinely love learning more about it. Every answer seems to create five more questions, and I love that. I know becoming a pediatric ophthalmologist is a long road. Medical school, residency, and years of training aren’t things that scare me. If anything, they make me even more excited. I want an education that pushes me to ask bigger questions, work alongside professors doing meaningful research, and explore the relationship between vision, the brain, and human consciousness. I don’t want to memorize information. I want to contribute to it. But another part of my dream has come from watching my mom. When I was younger, she had a dream of opening her own children’s dress boutique. For years, it was only an idea. I watched her spend countless hours planning, saving, and working toward something that didn’t exist yet. Today, that dream is real. Every time I walk into her store, I’m reminded that the biggest dreams don’t happen overnight. They happen because someone refuses to stop believing in them. Watching her build something from nothing has shown me that dreams deserve commitment, not convenience. One day, I hope and want to build something of my own. I want children to walk into Kiddie Eyes and feel excited instead of scared. I want colorful glasses covering the walls and a place where every child feels comfortable, understood, and cared for. I hope to spend my life researching vision, treating children, and never losing the curiosity that began with one page in a children’s anatomy book. My mom showed me what it looks like to turn a dream into reality. My education is how I’ll do the same.
Elle Guarracino Student Profile | Bold.org