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Sydney McDonnell

1,095

Bold Points

Bio

I'm a high school senior, who also does full-time dual credit Running Start. I'm always challenging myself, whether that be academically or socially. For instance, I not only do full-time college courses (3 classes, with 15 credits per quarter), but I also decided to take an additional unrequired class at my high school because I was interested in teaching and the class would expose me to that. Socially, I also challenge myself by going out of my comfort zone and joining multiple clubs, such as Book Club (which I am currently the president of), Powerful Women's Club, Key Club, Anime/Manga Club, and Gamer's Club. I'm also a member of Phi Theta Kappa Honor Society's Pi Sigma charter at Highline College, which is an international honor society. In the future, I hope to become a forensic scientist or epidemiologist. Later down the line, I also might go into teaching High School biology, since teaching is also a passion of mine. I find science to be both interesting personally and very important in everything; science keeps people alive, helps us understand the world and its inner workings, and allows us to learn about ourselves and others -- not only on the outside and physically, but on the inside and emotionally. I want to continue growing alongside our generations and their advancements in science, and even eventually help that progression with my own study and scientific advancement someday.

Education

Highline College

Associate's degree program
2021 - 2022
  • Majors:
    • Biology, General

Federal Way High School

High School
2019 - 2022

Miscellaneous

  • Desired degree level:

    Master's degree program

  • Graduate schools of interest:

  • Transfer schools of interest:

  • Majors of interest:

    • Biological and Physical Sciences
    • Biological and Biomedical Sciences, Other
    • Human Biology
    • Biology, General
    • Microbiological Sciences and Immunology
    • Cell/Cellular Biology and Anatomical Sciences
  • Not planning to go to medical school
  • Career

    • Dream career field:

      Forensic Science

    • Dream career goals:

      Lead Scientist

    • Teaching Intern

      Mirror Lake Elementary School
      2018 – 20191 year
    • Teaching Intern

      Federal Way High School
      2022 – 2022

    Arts

    • Highline College

      Ceramics
      2021 – 2021
    • Highline College

      Photography
      2021 – 2021

    Public services

    • Volunteering

      Key Club International — Volunteer
      2022 – 2022
    • Volunteering

      Federal Way Public School District — Volunteer
      2019 – 2020
    • Volunteering

      Federal Way Public Parks — Volunteer
      2019 – 2020
    • Volunteering

      Treehouse — Volunteer
      2019 – 2019

    Future Interests

    Advocacy

    Volunteering

    Philanthropy

    Bold Loving Others Scholarship
    A world is not comprised of just one person; it is a whole of many people. One person’s impact, however, has the power to impact many. Thus, one’s actions are very important. This is why I strive to help others and make them feel loved – even if it’s just something small in my day-to-day life. I love doing small little actions or gestures for everyone in my life, such as giving them a compliment, helping them with something they don’t understand, etc. Even the small things in life that show that there are people in this world who care about you can brighten your mood. Of course, then there are the larger actions that we do for our loved ones. For me, this can range from anything such as doing a chore that they usually do, cleaning up shared living spaces, hanging out with them, giving them personalized gifts, or even clipping my family’s nails. Yes, you read that right. Trust me when I say that you don’t know love until you’re diving between your loved one’s toes, clipping and filing away. I don’t plan on doing anything professional related to beauty any time in the future, but if it helps my family, I love doing it.
    Bold Relaxation Scholarship
    Transporting myself into worlds of fantasy where imagination runs rampant; this is how I relax. Reading page by page or writing word by word – it’s like the tension within my shoulders rolls down my arms and through my fingertips until it dissipates into the air. The worlds I read and write about are my temporary oases’, where stress cannot reach me. I become a whole new person or set of people in a world without limits other than those I create myself. Writing is a way that I choose to express myself. Through writing, I’m able to productively let out my frustrations and sadness in an enjoyable way that can even allow me to look back on my work to derive even more enjoyment from my stories. Even being able to write dark stories or poetry helps me express my negative feelings so that healing can start and I can move past my emotional barriers. All in all, reading and writing help me relax and let out any pent-up emotions I may have, thus bettering my mental health and overall quality of life.
    Bold Creativity Scholarship
    Deep, dark, cavernous trenches, mountainous lands filled with mutant creatures and dragons, worlds filled with sword fighting and sorcery, courts wielding their words like knives as they poison their enemies, love worthy of filling legends and scrolls aplenty, and scandalous rumors and deaths to make everyone wary. These are the worlds of books – books that I like writing as much as I do reading them. Writing is how I express myself. Words that appear in my head flow down my arms and out my fingertips, littering pages with stories or simple scenes created by my imagination. Writing may be a hobby or a simple pastime for me, but being able to write and create fills me with a sense of glee. Furthermore, it helps me relax and express my feelings, thus bettering my mental health overall. Of course, that is only one way that I apply creativity to my life. In truth, creativity is used all the time, whether we may realize it or not. From simple homework or class assignments to figuring out something fun to do with friends, I use creativity not only to be productive, but to also have fun. Even biology, my major of choice and an interest of mine, uses creativity to design experiments and come up with ideas for why something happened. Therefore, creativity is a part of my day-to-day life in many ways and whether I’m assuming the role of a creative writer, diligent student, kind friend, helpful daughter, or a regular human being.
    Bold Creativity Scholarship
    Writing is how I express myself. Words that appear in my head flow down my arms and out my fingertips, littering pages with stories or simple scenes created by my imagination. Writing may be a hobby or a simple pastime for me, but being able to write and create fills me with a sense of glee. Furthermore, it helps me relax and express my feelings, thus bettering my mental health overall. Of course, that is only one way that I apply creativity to my life. In truth, creativity is used all the time, whether we may realize it or not. From simple homework or class assignments, to figuring out something fun to do with friends, I use creativity not only to be productive, but to also have fun. Even biology, my major of choice and an interest of mine, uses creativity to design experiments and come up with ideas for why something happened. Another example could even be how just recently, as the president of my school’s book club, I used creativity to come up with the idea to give out prizes to those who read the designated book pages before every meeting to further encourage members to read our book and come prepared to discuss it. This helps our club be productive, sure, but it also creates a fun environment where members get prizes and are able to talk along with others who have read what they have, versus everyone being scattered all over the place and not being able to talk about anything. Therefore, creativity is a part of my day-to-day life in many ways and whether I’m assuming the role of a fun club president, diligent student, kind friend, helpful daughter, or a regular human being.
    Bold Loving Others Scholarship
    A world is not comprised of just one person; it is a whole of many people. One person’s impact, however, has the power to impact many. Thus, one’s actions are very important. This is why I strive to help others and make them feel loved – even if it’s just something small in my day-to-day life. I love doing small little actions or gestures for everyone in my life, such as giving them a compliment, helping them with something they don’t understand, etc. Even the small things in life that show that there are people in this world who care about you can brighten your mood. Of course, then there are the larger actions that we do for our loved ones. For me, this can range from anything such as doing a chore that they usually do, cleaning up a shared living space, hanging out with them, giving them personalized gifts, or even clipping my family’s nails. Yes, you read that right. Trust me when I say that you don’t know love until you’re diving between your loved one’s toes, clipping and filing away. I don’t plan on doing anything professional related to beauty any time in the future, but if it helps my family, I love doing it.
    Bold Hobbies Scholarship
    Deep, dark, cavernous trenches, mountainous lands filled with mutant creatures and dragons, worlds filled with sword fighting and sorcery, courts wielding their words like knives as they poison their enemies, love worthy of filling legends and scrolls aplenty, and scandalous rumors and deaths to make everyone wary. These are the worlds of books. When I read, I’m transported into a whole world anew, where imagination runs wild; I’m swept up into the most soul-shattering emotional rides of a lifetime – but the lifetime of someone else. An elf, a warlock, a druid – a creature you’ve never heard of; all is possible within stories. When I read, write, or listen to stories, I feel whole – even as the character fights their most powerful foe or a loved one dies gruesomely and tragically. As such, I joined a book club because books are life to me, and to be able to share and debate them with others sounds like the most entertaining thing ever – besides books themselves, of course. Writing is also a passion of mine. Just as with reading, I’ve had a special love and attachment to writing since I was younger. The words that flow from my fingertips onto pages fill me with a sense of glee that I wish to give unto my readers – even if that reader’s simply myself. The way that words can twist and turn, sound pleasant like the twinkling of bells, or unpleasant as a grating rock; all of it is beautiful to me. Although I don’t write as often as I used to, when I do find the time, I wholeheartedly enjoy it. Hopefully, I’ll find more time in the future to continue these hobbies and passions of mine.
    Sydney McDonnell Student Profile | Bold.org