One activity that I always like to do to make friends and family feel loved is to call and facetime, especially when I haven’t seen them in a while. When others facetime me, it makes me feel special and significant because other people are taking time out of their busy schedules to talk with me and hang out. Regular calls indicate a strong relationship, where I and people I am close to care and check in with each other. Not only is calling or facetime accessible since almost everyone owns a phone, but also can be done anywhere, anytime, regardless how far away people are from each other. Whether it’s to catch up on news or just a casual conversation, by calling my friends and family, I like to demonstrate interest in their lives, making them feel appreciated that I am thinking about them. Facetime doesn’t require money at all, only time. So by calling and facetime, I can invest in making friends, family, and other people in my life feel loved.

One of the more difficult classes I’ve taken in my first year of college is General Chemistry. It challenged me to revise my learning plan and search for sources that I hadn’t needed previously. While I was able to breeze through my written notes to ace a test in high school, in college, I sought a myriad of resources to secure my grade. Through Chemistry, I put together strategies, divided into practice and initiative. One of the best ways to master a topic is to practice. Going over homework problems provides an opportunity for me to review the topics I may have forgotten or missed. Reviewing wrong problems, especially those on midterms and exams, helped me learn my mistakes and reinforce a better understanding of the material. Therefore, I definitely recommend completing practice exercises, including more complicated ones to challenge oneself so the student can feel confident going into the exam knowing how to do the harder questions. Sometimes, I will get stuck understanding a topic, such as quantum hybridization or thermodynamics. In this case, I would first seek out the TA for the class since they will know the material well enough to communicate it in a simpler and understandable fashion to the student. By going to daily office hours, I got to know my chemistry TA very well and it was a perfect opportunity to get my questions answered. Another great resource are friends and study groups. Don’t be ashamed or embarrassed to ask for help because that’s what these groups are for. My friends and I relied on each other to prepare for our final exam together and answer last minute questions. And so, through these strategies and resources, I was able to do well in Chemistry.

My favorite piece of art is a photo of Manhattan, New York City taken from The High Line, an urban trail that threads through the city. Taken by Craig Adderley on Pexels.com, this photograph has captured what I believe is the heart and life of NYC. The light blue, almost clear glass color contrasting the light burgundy hues immediately drew me to its aestheticism. The photograph looked so chic and elegant, I could not help but fawn over it. I love photography, especially those with the nighttime city as the subject. With all the activity one could encapsulate, people going about their daily lives, lights blazing beneath the twilight sky, one picture holds all this movement in stillness for eternity. Photography works to capture the most beautiful moments in life, whether intentional or not, so one can never forget and instead look back on these pictures and remember the happiness, liveliness, and nostalgia felt in that time. As an amateur photographer myself, I strive to create art that both appeases my audience and me. My love for photography has inspired me to open up my own photography Instagram and share all the breathtaking shots I’ve accumulated through travels and everyday life. It doesn’t matter how many likes or comments I receive on each post, only the satisfaction of being able to get involved and share my creativity and aesthetic with the world.

One thing that gives me hope are my memories of how far we’ve come since the beginning of the pandemic and our unity. It has been almost two years since COVID-19 swept across the globe and tore apart our daily life. Now, we are living in a new normal. Back then, people were scrambling to supply hospitals with masks and gloves, others were glued to the TV, anticipating every bit of news that the CDC unveiled, and scientists were quickly trying to create a vaccine. But in retrospect, despite the initial chaos, people were there for one another. Whether it was donating PPE supplies or supporting small business, everyone rallied together to overcome the tough situation we were thrown in and it is this innate connection and empathy for others that makes me think “we can get through it.” Unity can make or break a situation. By having unity, one can become part of a stronger and more efficient community. Without unity, one will get nothing done. The role unanimity plays in helping others is tremendous, not just in COVID times but also back during the tragic fall of the twin towers on 9/11. People came together to help each other out because we, as humans, feel a sense of affinity towards those who are hurting and grieving. Another example of solidarity is during the Black Lives Matter movement where the whole nation had a reckoning with racism, to support those who have been unfairly treated and stereotyped. To speak up on their behalf and to advocate for one another bands people together in camaraderie. Knowing that people will be there for others no matter what, for encouragement or support, is what allows us to hope for a better future. Unity can be forged through ideas and connections. Often, we drift towards people who share similar interests and visions to make an impactful change on the world. Communities are continuously growing and thriving to include more and more people everyday until maybe one day, we can all share a united bond. This meaningful connection and like-mindedness is what gives me optimism that a better time will come when people will no longer selfishly hoard toilet paper, inflate mask prices on eBay to make profits, or jump in front of vaccine lines. I believe, with unity, we can look forward, past COVID, towards a greater time ahead.

As a prospective biochemistry major in college, I think one of the most fascinating new biotechnological inventions in our age is CRISPR-Cas9, a tool that can be used to modify any genomic sequence. Before Jennifer Doudna and Emmanuelle Charpentier won the 2020 Nobel Prize for discovering the device and excitement exploded among the masses, I first learned about the gene-editing tool in my freshman biology class. When my teacher first introduced it, I could hardly believe that with such a simple mechanism, one could alter the state of an entire being, providing potential resistance against diseases and defects that have afflicted our bodies for centuries. With this instrument under our belt, scientists can now face any genetic disorder. The wide range and use of CRISPR-Cas9 makes it easily one of the most practical and functional tools for a majority of patients. From excising the nucleic base pairs in DNA that cause HIV or repairing a sickle cell anemia mutation, CRISPR-Cas9 can serve a variety of different medically-affected communities. Widely impactful, CRISPR-Cas9 can knock out a gene, insert or delete a sequence, activate or silence a gene. Additionally, all these functions come at a cost effective price. Compared to other gene-editing tools, such as Zinc Finger Nucleases (ZFN) and TALENs, CRISPR-Cas9 is less labor intensive and cheaper. ZFN and TALENs rely on difficult protein engineering to identify the target site, while CRISPR is RNA-based and performed ex vivo and thus, more laboratories have the biotechnological capabilities to conduct the modification work, which usually takes around nine to ten weeks. Overall, CRISPR-Cas9 has the best combination of precision, accessibility, and time length to perform the tasks, allowing it to benefit multiple patients. Not only is CRISPR-Cas9 used now to achieve genetic disorders ex vivo, but will also soon be able to tackle larger medical issues. Mentioned in a CNBC article, Doudna hopes to take CRISPR-Cas9 to the next level in applying the instrument to major organs, like the heart, brain, and muscles. One promising outlook is using CRISPR-Cas9 for cancer therapy to help cells better identify and eradicate possible tumorous growth. With a little over 19 million cancer cases in the global population, being able to innovate a novel treatment would undoubtedly boost CRISPR-Cas9’s advancements in the scientific field. The technology has also branched out to non-medical uses, such as agricultural crop modification, making crops more resistant to drought and climate changes. All in all, the ways in which CRISPR can be utilized is limitless, which is why it is the most exciting technology there is to date.

Ambitions, dreams, success: these are the principles I strive to accomplish as I begin college in the autumn and are especially important to me as a first year undergraduate student when planning my future path and goals. At college, I hope to earn a bachelor’s degree in biochemistry and volunteer in hospitals and scientific laboratories. Further down the road, I aspire to become a physician scientist who can aid the community and advance society’s biochemical technologies. Although I may only be just starting college, my passion for science drives me to become a doctor and give back to the community by treating patients. From a young age, I have always been interested in science both inside and outside the classroom because it was fascinating to learn how scientists are always unearthing new ideas and concepts within the field. As a kid, I liked doing experiments and adding chemicals together to create colorful liquids. As I got older, I learned the conceptual ideas and benefits science has on people’s lives and decided to pursue a career in science. In high school, one of my proudest service initiatives that I co-founded was called Camp DELTA. It was a six- week, online science summer camp designed to keep kids academically engaged and socially connected during the COVID-19 pandemic. Helping kids learn more about science and encouraging them to flourish an interest in the scientific field was a very rewarding experience. Ultimately, my interest in science has sparked my decision to pursue a degree and career in the STEM field. My short-term goal is to get settled into college life and discover new people, clubs, and classes. Though I am excited, I also feel nervous to begin this next phase of life and adulthood. I hope to overcome academic challenges and make fun memories with friends along the way. Furthermore, I wish to graduate with a degree in biochemistry and attend medical school because my long-term goal is to become a doctor, however, I’m not sure what specialty yet. A couple that I have pondered about include pediatrics, ophthalmology, and radiology. With my goals, I am able to motivate and push myself to success and the prospects of having an inspiring job that is not tedious or repetitive entices me. Thus, starting this autumn, I wish to go in and participate in these activities and come out as an educated biochemistry scholar, club and extracurricular enthusiast, lab researcher, and a worldwide influencer. What intrigues me about becoming a doctor is exploring what the world has to offer. There are many directions to take in learning about human anatomy, pathology, and much more. Not only does this potential job offer a way to connect with others but they also allow me to give back to the community. To work as a doctor will allow me to experience working with others professionally and build relationships with patients and the greater community. I wish to be part of a supportive group for a wealth of patients and contribute my own diverse interests and views to further my and society’s understanding and knowledge of the scientific field to make a global impact. Moreover, through my volunteer experiences, I have worked with a wide variety of kids, adults, and seniors and being a doctor will allow me to interact with different groups of people and have a wider outreach for my work. Thus, giving back to the community is one of my biggest values and objectives. In conclusion, science is my greatest passion, from when I was young to the present, and I will continue to pursue a degree in this field in hopes of working as a physician scientist. Even though there are many hurdles to leap over, such as adjusting to college and applying to medical schools, the gratification and joy of helping others ultimately outweigh the challenges presented. All in all, I hope to treat patients and contribute to my community.

“Gone days, this is the new generation, go away,” I hummed while making breakfast. Eggs and bacon were sizzling in the pan, but my mind was concentrated on the song playing through my phone’s speaker. It was upbeat and cheerful and could give me more of a serotonin boost than any continental meal. My greatest influence in life is Stray Kids, an eight-member K-pop group whom I've been following since their debut. Since discovering them, I consistently listen to their tracks to feel inspired to pursue what I love most: science. From a young age, I have always been interested in science both inside and outside the classroom because it was fascinating how scientists are always unearthing new ideas and concepts within the field. As a kid, I liked doing experiments and adding chemicals together to create colorful liquids. As I got older, I learned the conceptual ideas and benefits science has on people’s lives and decided to pursue a career in science. In the future, I aspire to become a physician scientist and to help patients while giving back to society. However, the path to becoming one isn’t easy. Students, like me, face a myriad of hurdles on our journey, such as maintaining excellent grades, volunteering in hospitals or labs, getting involved in science clubs, and finding research projects to conduct. But Stray Kids inspires me because becoming a K-pop idol has the same degree of difficulty as becoming a doctor and K-pop trainees must consistently practice just as students must always study. These idols have reminded me not to give up and to keep pushing myself because if they can make it to the top of the Billboard music charts, then I can also attend and graduate from medical school. They have shaped my career aspirations by providing motivation to take a leap of faith into the medical field even though failure and rejection are common. As someone who is within a close age range to them, I can relate to the adversity each of us face in undertaking our respective ambitions. Additionally, Stray Kids weaves these feelings of hardships within their song lyrics, such as in the song “Gone Days.” Though I don’t understand Korean, key elements are sung in English, like the line “This is the new generation, go away.” With this line, Stray Kids talk about how outdated ideas are enforced upon them condescendingly by people with superiority and these ideas and people should leave them alone. Not only can this apply to Korean culture, but also to women in STEM. Throughout history, the field has been traditionally male-dominated, but now we are progressing towards a new age of advanced technology and gender equality. Some outdated concepts perpetuated to keep women out of STEM include saying that women are too “feminine” for a “masculine” field or that women won’t work as hard because they have to take care of children. This discouragement should be set aside to create less obstacles for me or other women in this new generation to follow our dreams in the STEM field. Listening to Stray Kids clap back at their society gives me confidence to do the same to any barrier blocking my path towards becoming a physician scientist.

Ever since I was young, I have always been interested in science. My passion was sparked at an early age when I visited the Ann Arbor Hands-On Science Museum. There, I learned about and created giant bubbles, mist tornados, and magnet towers. As I grew, so did my love for science, particularly biology and chemistry, while I took advanced classes in school and interned in a laboratory at City of Hope. Now, I am headed to the University of Chicago (abbreviated as UChicago) to continue my education. However, due to my family’s financial situation during Covid-19, money matters have become an obstacle to overcome, which is why I am applying to this scholarship. I will utilize the Art of Giving scholarship to move forward in my studies and to strive in becoming a physician scientist. I have been affected by Covid-19 in multiple ways. Most impactfully would be family finances when my mother lost her job. In 2019, my family's income was approximately $370,000, but in 2020, it has dropped severely. For the past four years, I have attended an independent high school with a costly tuition and last year was the first time I needed financial aid from my school. Additionally, my family has received little financial aid from UChicago while their tuition, plus room and board, has skyrocketed to $86,000 per year. Due to all of this, I must take out student loans. This scholarship will help alleviate some financial burden because every penny counts. I will not let finances hinder my education and learning, which is why I need the Art of Giving Scholarship. At UChicago, I plan on majoring in Biological Chemistry while also following the pre-med track. Throughout my four year duration in college, I wish to get involved in many clubs, activities, and research that UChicago has to offer. Afterwards, I plan to apply to and attend medical school. Although medical school is notoriously expensive, sending many students into debt, I wish to fulfill my dream of being a physician scientist. My parents have mentioned that no financial barrier should pose an obstacle to my education and that they are willing to help; however, I feel that I should also contribute, in part, to finance my own learning. Thus, I will use this scholarship to reduce the price. Though I do not know what I will ultimately specialize in (I am currently interested in pediatrics and optometry), beyond medical school, I hope to practice as a physician resident, while aspiring to succeed as a physician scientist. The Art of Giving scholarship can not only help me save money to pay for future medical school expenses, but also help me to begin my journey of following my dreams.

Got milk? Well, who needs any when you’ve got Mountain Dew! With one of my baby pictures, I created this original meme, which brings together laughter and the importance of drinking milk. Like any other curious, sugar-loving child, I immediately fell in love with the neon-green colored soda after just one sip, the sweet carbonated taste fizzing in my mouth. Not only is this meme hilarious, but it’s also relatable to kids, who would rather drink juice or soda over milk. The ironic thought of a baby guzzling soda like Will Farrell in that one scene in Elf is wonderfully funny. Additionally, the meme helps kids keep in mind the benefits of milk. As a female who is currently almost 5’8'' tall, I've definitely had my share of calcium, but that doesn’t mean others have. Through this meme, kids will realize and note that if a baby should drink milk rather than soda, then the kids themselves should too. I hope this meme can inspire laughter and smiles while also letting kids know milk is just as essential as a photoshoot with a Mountain Dew can.

“Sorry, but we don’t have any more space to accommodate your program given the pandemic situation,” read the email. I sighed, this was the third time that my friend and I had been declined from partnering with a nonprofit organization to set up our Community Action Project (CAP). We reached out to numerous places, but none were available. After thinking for a few minutes, I realized we didn’t need to partner with an organization if we couldn’t find one, we could just create our own and I hurriedly texted this idea to my friend. One of my favorite quotes from the book Six of Crows, written by Leigh Bardugo, is “When you can’t beat the odds, change the game.” In my case, the odds were piled against me: COVID-19 had hit the U.S., disrupting summer activities and forcing everyone to quarantine. Though I fully support quarantining, this meant that we could not host an in-person science program with an organization. Therefore, to “change the game” or to adapt to the circumstances, we decided to create our own independent organization and moved to a virtual format. Thus, our final product, Camp DELTA, aimed to foster an interest for science in middle schoolers. Not only did the program provide fun science experiments to keep children academically engaged, but it also kept them socially connected. We raised funds, to make the program free and accessible, and gathered materials to teach. After sending out a virtual flyer to friends and families, we gathered nine kids. Each week, we covered a new topic, such as chemistry, physics, and human anatomy, that coincided with the experiments we completed. One experiment the children enjoyed was extracting strawberry DNA during biology week. By mixing rubbing alcohol, dish soap, and crushed strawberries, we lysed strawberry cells and purified DNA. Successfully demonstrating how exciting science could be, I remember everyone’s awed reactions at being able to touch, see, and smell the small white clump of genetic material. Through preliminary research, I learned most children think of science and math as boring and difficult subjects, so my goal was to help kids think about science in a beneficial way, through creative science experiments. It was gratifying to share my enthusiasm in the scientific field and to positively influence and contribute to the younger generation’s understanding of STEM by inspiring a new mindset. In the future, I hope to pursue a biochemistry major to become a physician scientist, where I hope to gain new knowledge, conduct biomedical research, and better patients’ lives. The first step I have taken to pursue my path is to get other kids involved in my passion and encourage them to also pursue a career in science. Even now, as I continue to face more hurdles in life, I ponder on whether I can win within another player’s rules or innovate a new solution to overcome the challenge. Overall, this quote motivates me to continue pursuing my path, not letting any obstacles, big or small, deter me.

“Whoaaaa, it’s changing colors!” “Wow!” “That’s so cool!” These were the reactions the kids had when we turned purple cabbage juice pink and blue. Last summer, a friend and I created an online science camp, called Camp DELTA, which aimed to foster an interest for science in middle schoolers. Not only did the program provide fun experiments to keep children academically engaged, but it also kept them socially connected. We raised funds, to make the program free, and organized materials to teach. Sharing my enthusiasm in this field made me realize I’m lucky to contribute to kids’ understanding in STEM.