The countless hours I spent previously discussing photosynthesis in my biology class had finally ended. When walking through the large door that had just slammed behind me, my eyebrows rose when I encountered the sheets of paper littered on every single person's table. A piece of paper with a blank two-by-two box stared back at me while I approached the blue stool I had sat in since the beginning of my freshman year. The piece of paper had both the uppercase and lowercase r printed on the top and side of the two-by-two box. I put the uppercase and lowercase letters in distinct orders to represent the dominant and recessive genes in DNA. With the use of this Punnett square, we could predict the possibilities of different genotypes that an offspring could receive when being conceived. Throughout the rest of that unit, we talked about how the smallest mutation of DNA can lead to many abnormalities and defects like Down’s Syndrome or Sickle Cell Anemia. Since the unit on Genetics in my freshman year biology class, I have been looking for any opportunity to learn more about this subject. In my senior year, once I finally had space to take classes I was very interested in, I found an opportunity to learn more about genetics and the diseases and birth defects that are associated with the mutation of DNA. Anatomy and Physiology helped further my understanding of DNA and its functions relating to different organs, organelles, and macromolecules. My Honors Anatomy class has also given me an opportunity to look at different case studies and diagnose treatments just like a real doctor would. My Medical Terminology and Human Biology Course, which I took at Harold Washington College, helped me understand different diseases and defects relating to organ systems, which some have related to a mutation in a person's DNA sequence. With the UIC Urban Health Club, we explore different fields that future medical personnel would be interested in pursuing. All of these courses and activities helped me figure out a way to incorporate my interest in genetics into my potential future career as an Oncologist or Surgeon. My interest in genetics has inspired me to pursue something that I otherwise would not have pursued. As a future doctor, focusing on genetics relating to cancer, I can say that genetics plays a major role in cancer development in many cancer patients all over the U.S. In the future, when skipping down the hallway of the hospital that just hired me, I will change the lives of the patients that I encounter throughout my career. I want to continue my education about gene regulation and how a gene’s architecture plays a role in the advancement and therapy of cancer. While learning about how RNA processes influence cancer genomics and how the contributions of mutated genes lead to millions of cancer-related deaths, I will revolutionize medicine. Working at a research lab at a great research University will give me the chance to learn more about how genetics relates to cancer and how we can design new therapeutic procedures for future cancer patients.

“Maybe you should play with the Freshmen this year.” I looked up from the worn-out wood that coated the old gym floor. My feet shifted uneasily from left to right to left again while my eyes seemed to stare at every area of the gym but the intense eyes of the coach, burning away every inch of courage every second I stood in front of her. The recurring sting in my anxious eye would not disappear despite the infinite number of blinks I inadvertently gave postponing the now inevitable tears. “I just feel it will be a better fit for you because of your skill level,” the coach continued explaining. I desperately wanted to retort back with a personal assurance for my undeniable readiness for the Junior Varsity basketball team, but the enormous ball that lodged in the back of my throat refused for any sound to escape my closing vocal cords. I continued listening anxiously, aware of the inconsistent chatter of the other sophomore girls behind me and the loud bouncing of basketballs on the other side of the gym. The talk was promptly over when I overheard her say, “I hope you understand.” I nodded with an unreassuring attitude and walked out the gym, and up the narrow echoed stairwell leading to the girl’s locker room. The next day my feet were rushing straight for the gym after another long and agonizing school day. I walked into school, absolutely ready to work for the position I knew I deserved. The newfound determination to demonstrate to the Junior Varsity coach my worth remained a new goal that I knew possessed no possibility of failure. I underwent multiple days of practice with the Freshman and stayed after practice to work on my dribbling and shooting skills until the JV coach paid attention to me again. My continued persistence of staying after school for the next several hectic days, pushing and pushing for the opportunity to join JV practices, paid off when encountered by another talk with the JV coach. “I think it would be great if you could move up to JV.” The coach stood in front of me, not even ten feet from the spot where she delivered the disappointing news she said to me a week prior. Both edges of my lips moved in an upward motion to form a slight smile. I nodded vigorously, accepting the offer I had been waiting to hear. My determination to prove the JV coach wrong showed me how to confront my failures and overcome them. The defeated expression that consumed me when being rejected from the JV team almost inspired me to quit and hide away but I got up the next day and tried. I worked through all the things my coach said I couldn't achieve and achieved them. I wanted to prove I was capable of anything. I wanted to push past my capabilities, and that is a quality that I know will help me achieve my future goals.

"The emotion just isn’t there. You need to show sadness to pull this piece off. Feel the chains on your back pulling you lower and lower. Channel the feelings of a slave and what it would feel like if you are finally free from that bondage.” Mr. Henry with what looked like an almost defeated expression had said that same line for what felt like the hundredth time. After the countless repetitions, I still could not fully grasp what he wanted us to feel and express. “Okay guys, start over.” I went back to my original spot near, the end of the line. We started again with the men singing “Wahyup” while the women replied with “Oooo”. I couldn’t really notice any difference between this go around and the previous ones we had done the entire day. There needed to be some kind of change and some way to show the emotions I thought I was feeling at that moment. I closed my eyes and concentrated on the sadness, the pain, the sorrow that a slave would have felt. I thought of the saddest thing I could have, my favorite character dying in my favorite show, the Originals. I thought about Klaus’s death and the emotions that Hope probably felt when she realized she would be all alone. I then channeled the emotions I would have felt, standing in Hope’s shoes, watching my last parent disappear before my eyes. The sadness I felt when initially watching that last episode came rushing back as I was singing the chorus, and I held on to that pain until the last note is sung. All we left was silence and all I could hear was the ringing of the last chord we had sung echoing in the room. I shifted my head back and forth, eyeing the raised eyebrows and the smiling lips scattered across the room. I finally looked forward, looking at Mr. Henry, still engulfed by the deafening silence filling the room. A sudden “Yes!” erupted toward Mr. Henry. He smiled with gleeful laughs, smiling from ear to ear. As a person living in a blur of constant uncertainty, I am undoubtedly certain of my passion for music. Listening to the dissonance in harmonies, the smooth vibrations of the bass, and the steady tone of an altos melody in a song brings an uncontrollable smile to my face. This rehearsal helped me fully immerse into a song and attach myself to the very meaning I was singing to others. It wasn’t until that moment, when I could feel the watering of my eyes, that I fully understood the meaning behind every word I had sung. The song, “Stand Up” had brought such a powerful meaning that it shook not only me but the rest of the choir to its core, bewildered by its effects on our emotions. This experience showed me the importance of our feelings and how it can lead to an individual understanding others while understanding themselves.

The countless hours I spent previously discussing photosynthesis in my biology class had finally ended. When walking through the large door that had just slammed behind me, my eyebrows rose when I encountered the sheets of paper littered on every single person's table. A piece of paper with a blank two-by-two box stared back at me while I approached the blue stool I had sat in since the beginning of my freshman year. The piece of paper had both the uppercase and lowercase r printed on the top and side of the two-by-two box. I put the uppercase and lowercase letters in distinct orders to represent the dominant and recessive genes in DNA. With the use of this Punnett square, we could predict the possibilities of different genotypes that an offspring could receive when being conceived. Throughout the rest of that unit, we talked about how the smallest mutation of DNA can lead to many abnormalities and defects like Down’s Syndrome or Sickle Cell Anemia. Since the unit on Genetics in my freshman year biology class, I have been looking for any opportunity to learn more about this subject. In my senior year, once I finally had space to take classes I was very interested in, I found an opportunity to learn more about genetics and the diseases and birth defects that are associated with the mutation of DNA. Anatomy and Physiology helped further my understanding of DNA and its functions relating to different organs, organelles, and macromolecules. My Honors Anatomy class has also given me an opportunity to look at different case studies and diagnose treatments just like a real doctor would. My Medical Terminology and Human Biology Course, which I took at Harold Washington College, helped me understand different diseases and defects relating to organ systems, which some have related to a mutation in a person's DNA sequence. With the UIC Urban Health Club, we explore different fields that future medical personnel would be interested in pursuing. All of these courses and activities helped me figure out a way to incorporate my interest in genetics into my potential future career as an Oncologist or Surgeon. My interest in genetics has inspired me to pursue something that I otherwise would not have pursued. As a future doctor, focusing on genetics relating to cancer, I can say that genetics plays a major role in cancer development in many cancer patients all over the U.S. In the future, when skipping down the hallway of the hospital that just hired me, I will change the lives of the patients that I encounter throughout my career. I want to continue my education about gene regulation and how a gene’s architecture plays a role in the advancement and therapy of cancer. While learning about how RNA processes influence cancer genomics and how the contributions of mutated genes lead to millions of cancer-related deaths, I will revolutionize medicine. Working at a research lab at a great research University will give me the chance to learn more about how genetics relates to cancer and how we can design new therapeutic procedures for future cancer patients.