20 Things you don't know about me...

Below is a list of 20 things you would know about me if you looked at me.

1.      I am very competitive

2.      I love sports ( I will watch just about any kind)

3.      I love to dance, although I made not be the greatest at it

 

 

      4.      I am very sarcastic

5.      I am fascinated with serial killers

6.      I love chocolate milk!

 

 

7.      I tend to overthink and overanalyze everything

8.      I dislike it very much when people are racist

9.      I am a huge Doctor Who fan

 

 

10.  I absolutely despise the winter

11.  I own a car that is a manual transmission and I love it

12.  I love gory movies/tv shows (i.e. Game of Thrones, The Alamo, etc.)

 

 

13.  I have had the hiccups everyday for the last 4 years (most of the time they come in threes)

14.  I have a lot of useless information

15.  I am a diehard University of Michigan fan

 

 

16.  I can out belch any man (this is not usually on purpose)

17.  I know a lot of movie quotes

18.  I really like coats (I have several)

 

 

19.  I own tools and I know how to use them (My parents made a point to teach my sisters and I how to use them )

20.  I will be a doctor (either MD, DO, or PhD I have yet to figure that out)

 

College: The best years of your life?

I have heard many say that the time you spend in college will be the best 4, 5, or 6 years of your life. But are they really?

For many, college is the first time when they are finally on their own. This is a huge adjustment. I had a rough time in the transition, I am close with my family and living away, took some getting used to.

I was very naïve when I started college. I have come to the realization that I was quite sheltered growing up.

Most of the stuff you learn in college is not necessarily from a class. You will learn what kind of person you are and what kind of person you want to be. You will learn about other people who grew up very different from you. You will learn about the world, and what kind of place it really is. You will also learn to communicate with peers but also faculty.

One of the great things about college is that you can immerse yourself in many things. You can try new things and explore options that you may have never considered otherwise. You will have so many decisions to make about what kind of people to hang out with, what extracurriculars to pursue, what program to pursue, etc. The decisions you make in college can positively or negatively impact your future.  

Fifteen things I have learned (in no particular order):

1.      Just about every history class you have taken up to college lies to an extent (especially when talking about Native Americans)!

2.      You will become deprived from sleep at some point (especially if you have orgo).

3.      It is okay to change your mind (I changed my major and I will be here 5 years, both things I was determined would not happen), that is purpose of college.

4.      Find a student group! This will really help in finding a place where you belong.

5.      You have to be able to survive on cheap food (you can find ways to make ramen and mac & cheese more gourmet, just give it a try).

6.      Working two-three jobs in addition to school is hard, and I would not recommend it, but I need food and a place to stay)

7.      You have to work hard and put in the effort to succeed (hard work does pay off. Use all the resources at your disposal).

8.      At some point you will have a professor that you hate, but you have to work extra hard in that class to get the grade.

9.      Find an outlet, for me it is working out. You need to plan this into you weekly schedule.

10.  You need to get a planner or an online calendar to keep everything straight (believe me, I always would just remember things, but there comes a point when there is just too much going on).

11.  Find something you are passionate about, and pursue it.

12.  Be open-minded and open to change (it is going to happen)

13.  You’ve got to get used to tight quarters (the residence halls are very tiny and crowded, but you can make the most of it)

14. Set up a budget (trust me, living in a college town is pricey).

15. College is a fresh start, make the most of it, Be yourself!

            With all of this added responsibility, how are these the best years of your life? You have all this added stress and pressure to find out what you want to do and where you want to go. For those who plan on pursuing more education, you work your ass off to get where you are, and there is always the chance that it may be for nothing. Something has got to give; whether it be sleep, social life, grades or family.  I will be honest I am not the greatest student, I don’t have the best grades, and I will most likely not have the best test scores, but what I do have is perseverance, determination, and passion.

                        College is like a chemical reaction, it may take some time and experimentation, but once you find the right concentrations you will have the perfect balance.

Poor choices have consequences

I am to the point where some of the decisions people make do not surprise me. But the results of their decision can have life altering consequences.

Last Saturday I received a phone call from my stepdad in the middle of the night. I was half asleep and still groggy, but this was a huge red flag; I can remember thinking that something bad must have happened. Sure enough it did. My younger brother was in a car accident. Mind you, he is twelve but about the size of a nine year old. Miraculously, he and his friend were both okay. His friend suffered a foot injury, which isn't great considering that fact he is the senior kicker for the high school football team. As for my brother he walked away with abrasions and bruising to the abdomen and face.

The story of the accident is that the driver in the other vehicle was under the influence of either drugs and/or alcohol. He then proceeded to steal his brother's vehicle and take it for a joy ride. Well the joy part did not last long; he crossed the median and caused a head-on collision. The most shocking part is that he just walked away from the accident and left two teenage boys to fend for themselves. Luckily the police caught him a few hours later.

Even though the EMTs did not think anything was wrong, they still took the boys to the hospital to be certain. My brother had to stay on the backboard until the doctor determined there was no head or neck injury. While he was waiting, my brother told my parents, “this is gunna cost you a lot of money,” knowing that he did not have insurance. Which normally, my brother would not even think of that. Since the accident he has been very cautious and “lovable.” And not to mention he has not slept well. Although it was a bad thing that happened, I think it will really open his eyes and make him see the consequences of someone’s poor choices.

My brother was right about one thing, it will cost my parents, a lot. Even if they did have health insurance the ambulance and ER visit would not have been covered, because it was a car accident. The car insurance would have to cover it, even though it was not one of my parent’s vehicles. For the car insurance to cover it, there is a $500 deductible or fee, plus all the cars under the insurance would be hiked. There is the great state of Michigan for you, no fault insurance will bite you in the ass. Either way, it is costly.

People, if you bring one thing home from this, do not let people drive under the influence of anything and do not let them be distracted while driving; it can devastating consequences.

If it were easy

 

They're Gunna Hear me ROAR!

A few nights ago I was driving back to school, I started to ponder about things that have been bothering me about myself. Probably not the healthiest thing to be doing, but I was doing it none the less. The biggest thing that has been bothering me is how introverted I am. I have however noticed that I have been getting a little better. But there are times that I still get thinking so much about what to say, that I shut down. I noticed this the other day for a group presentation, I just mentally shut down and whatever I did I physically could not make myself speak. And it is not that I don’t have something to say, because I do. I have strong opinions, but I just do not want to rub people the wrong way. I have also been a people pleaser, and sometimes, I say what I think people want me to say. I am really going to try from this day forward to say what I feel and think and let people know what I have to say. 

As I continued to drive a song came on that I thought were a bit ironic. It was Roar by Katy Perry. I have included part of the lyrics to show you.

 

I used to bite my tongue and hold my breath
Scared to rock the boat and make a mess
So I sat quietly, agreed politely
I guess that I forgot I had a choice
I let you push me past the breaking point
I stood for nothing, so I fell for everything

You held me down, but I got up
Already brushing off the dust
You hear my voice, you hear that sound
Like thunder gonna shake the ground
You held me down, but I got up
Get ready cause I’ve had enough
I see it all, I see it now

[Chorus]
I got the eye of the tiger, a fighter, dancing through the fire
Cause I am a champion and you’re gonna hear me ROAR
Louder, louder than a lion
Cause I am a champion and you’re gonna hear me ROAR
Oh oh oh oh oh oh
Oh oh oh oh oh oh
Oh oh oh oh oh oh
You’re gonna hear me roar

Now I’m floating like a butterfly
Stinging like a bee I earned my stripes
I went from zero, to my own hero

Big Rocks...Little Rocks

There are 168 hours in a week which is equal to 604,800 seconds. Below I have sorted out my “big rocks.” The most important thing is my education, that is what I am devoting my life to, and I need to make that my top priority this year. And sleep is also very important for me, if I do not get at least 5 hours, I get very cranky and ornery and I have a very difficult time functioning. Working out and yoga are up next. Yoga helps me to relax, and helps me to keep focus.  

Class/studying- 60

Sleep- 48

Work-12

Workout-10

Eating/cooking-10

 

My “little rocks” the most important is my Student group. The remaining include research, family, McNair, free time, and reading/TV/me time. These pebbles are small and able to fill in my remaining time available in the week.

SNMA-3

McNair- 4

Family/friends- 5

Research- 5

Reading/TV/Me-7

Free-4

Not everything can be represented, but the most important are the ones that included. Not everything will fit into a nice "jar" but there remains room for the spur of the moment items.

Summertime Sadness

Many say summer is over.

 

Well, not quite. I have to say this is the saddest part of the summer, the end. We still about 2 weeks left of summer; school is in session and we no longer that the freedom that comes with the summer. We become more restricted to schedules because of meetings, events, and classes.

 

In retrospect, this was by far my most memorable and amazing summer that I have had, at least since the carefree days of my childhood. I tried many new things and I have been to new places and been on some crazy adventures, most of all I have met some wonderful and memorable people. There are just some many things that I do not know if I would be able to mention everything.

 

This summer I participated in the McNair Scholars Program at Central Michigan University, and it was hard, time consuming, made me doubt myself (intellectually and physically). But it was so worth it. It has been amazing. I pushed myself passed my boundaries. This experience has showed me the value of managing time better. At the beginning of the summer I attended a boot camp in Kentucky and that was a long week, but it was packed full of valuable information, southern food, and lots of laughter, but most of all adventures. Of course while we were there we had to try some “real” BBQ.

 

 

I was sure that I wanted to pursue an MD/PhD at the beginning of the summer, but through searching schools and working with patients, I have realized that the patient care is my primary interest. Don’t get me wrong, I love the research to, but I think that at this moment, I just was to do the MD or the DO t start, and if I decide later on I will pursue the PhD.

 

Throughout the summer, between working and research, I worked out with my McNair “peeps” at Seung-Ni and also did yoga. There were some sessions at Seung-Ni were I felt the burn, and really made me want to quit, but with the encouragement, I was about to continue. And in yoga, I have really increased my flexibility and can do some poses that I was not able to do before. Also yoga has changed my ability to relax and calm, which has become useful, especially on stressful days. All in preparation for the Color Run, this lives up to its motto, The Happiest 5K on Planet Earth. I have run dozens, if not hundreds of races, and that by far was the best. There is something refreshing about not trying to compete or a time and just having fun.

 

Other new things I tried was kayaking, which is fun, but I found that near the end of the trip, I got to the point; I just wanted to be done. But I also tried tubing, “college-style,” apparently. But it was fun, but to an extent, a 3 hour trip turned into a 5 hour trip, and being the only sober one has some limitations. But I was able to hang out with my friends whom I have not hung out with in a while, because we all always busy.

 

This summer I also worked at the hospital and the med school. Not only did I learn more about healthcare and medicine, the nurses have taught me a lot about life. They are always willing to give advice. They are also not afraid to share. They have taught me a lot about things I need to keep in mind when I become a doctor; be nice to the nurses, listen, be caring and personable, and be able and willing to explain why.

 

This was a summer for the record books. It was mainly about getting done to business, but I still managed to have some fun and try new things. The summer was amazing and memorable, but now that is t nearing the end, it is sad.

Mettle

There have been several instances in my life in which my “mettle” has been tested. I had to grow up fast. To begin with the first instance, it requires a little bit of background knowledge. I will begin with painting a picture of my past: some may or may not know I was paternally adopted shortly after I was born. To sum things up, my biological father felt that at the time he was not at a point in his life where he could raise and support a child, so he gave up his paternal rights. So my “adopted father” stepped in and took that responsibility. He and my mother married when I was 5 months old and he legally became my guardian when I was 8 months old. When I was 23 months old my little sister came into this wide and bright eyed. My mother and him divorced around the time I turned 6. I had to watch the number of relationships he went through as the years passed.

When I was about 8-9 I had to grow up fast. My mother and him had join custody, and in the summer we would spend equal times at the other. During the summer, I had to step up and grow up quick. I do not know exactly where he was or would go, but I had to babysit my younger sister and make sure that we both ate. In my opinion, and 8 year old should not be operating a stove, but I learned quick. I became a master at preparing mac and cheese and ramen noodles. It may not have been the healthiest meals, but hey it was better than nothing. When we were at my mom’s we would be at daycare or at a family’s. I helped to raise my sister, and it was hard on me but I think it made me realize some of the harsh cruelties of the real world and also it taught me a lot of valuable skills. With this situation I had to step up to take action.

The next time my mettle has been tested was senior year of high school, when I got a terrible phone call when waves crashed in on me and left me gasping for air and clarity. One of my closest friends from middle school, Tabi,  we drifted apart when we started high school, mainly because I moved, but we still would call and write to each other periodically. I received the phone call September 20, 2009 at about 1:00 in the afternoon when my life was forever altered. I got the call from another friend, Autumn, that Tabi had passed away from injuries sustained in a car accident the day before. The days that followed were a haze and surreal. When that Thursday, the day of the funeral, it hit me in all the chaos, I had lost one of my dearest friends. I miss her more than anything, and no one will ever be able to replace her, but each day I become a stronger person and I know that she is keeping an eye on me.

The most recent time in which my mettle has been tested has been with this McNair experience. This has pushed in so many more ways than I had anticipated. It has pushed me emotionally, educationally, physically, among others. There have been more times this summer that I have questioned and doubted myself, than I ever have before. But I have made some amazing friends who supports me, but also know exactly what I am going through, and it is people like them who will help me make my way through all of my education.

Inflammation

There are many things that are chronic or inflamed in my life.

 

I always feel as though I have to be perfect, even though I know it is an impossible task.

I always want to please people, and it has become to the point that I struggle trying to figure out who I am as a person, because I want to make everyone happy. I need to realize that life is hard and not everyone will agree with your decisions, but if they care about you, they will respect them.

Another thing inflamed is the constant struggle trying to find autonomy from my parents.

I get easily distracted by music, movies, books, people, and tv.

The constant fear of being rejected or judged.

Being assertive. I am terrible at it, but in the last few weeks I thinks I am getting better at it. It is hard, but it is a learning process.  

Fear of failure. I am always worried that I will fail at what I am trying to do. Am I good enough? Do I have what is takes? What happens if I am not good enough? Do I have a back-up plan?

 

I have many things that are inflamed in my life, but I working to improve them, so I can improve my well-being and sanity.

Who I am Today

I have encountered lots of people and lots of experiences that have influenced who I am today. Some of the main experience that has had an influence on me has been moving. I have moved around a lot in my life, I have gone to countless schools and met many people. With moving around I learned how to adapt to new situations. But it has also hindered me. I moved so much that making friends became difficult because I would just shut down and climb into my introverted shell and avoided people. I never knew how long I would be somewhere so eventually tried not to get close to anyone. As I have gotten older I have had a much harder time, I have become so introverted that at times people think I don’t like them. Moving has been both good and bad for me.  Another experience that has influenced my life was the death of one of my best friends. I am really trying to not let it define me, but there have been so many people that I have known my age that I was close with that died. I really strive to try new things, but again I am hesitant when making friends, because I want to avoid getting hurt.

 

Some of the people that I have met that have had an influence on my life would my stepdad Jamie. He and my mom married when I was 9. HE has taught me a lot. He has taught a lot about sports, tools & repairs, and about life. My mom has taught me how to work hard and to be independent. Both my mom and my stepdad made a point to teach my sisters and I how to use tools, so we would have a knowledge how to use them and fix things. Many people underestimate my knowledge, but I can prove them wrong, I am not like other girls. My adopted father has had a major impact on my life, for the worse. Because of him, who I will not name, I find it very hard to trust people. He was not around much, and even when he was, he wasn’t. Many times my sister and I would be left at his newest girlfriend’s or fiancé’s house to fend for ourselves, and because of that I learned to be independent at a young age. I was taking care of my younger sister from the time I was eight which meant I learned to cook.  I was lied to an let down many times, and I have learned to be cautious and be my own person, free from his bad choices, lies, and disappointments.

Friends who have had an impact on my life have been Nicole, Megan, Tabi, and Tyler. Tabi had an infectious smile and personality. She was one of my first best friends and could always make me smile. Nicole took me under her wing when I started high school, and helped me cope with the move. She is two years older than I and when she graduated high school I had a rough time. She is now stationed in North Carolina and I still speak with her regularly but I only get to see her once maybe twice a year. Megan has been my friend and roommate since freshman year. With her I can be my goofy, obnoxious self. Tyler, where do I begin? We are friends now but we did date for a time. He has taught me a lot about relationships and people, and about myself. With him, I do not have to worry about him judging me or looking down on me because of something I do.

 

Teachers who have had an influence on me would be Mr. Brunk, and Mr. Robinson. Both coincidently are science teachers and cross country coaches. But neither were my coach, although I looked to them more than my coach. They have both had influence because they sparked an interest in science. They both have provided me with invaluable advice.

 

Through the many experiences and the people I have met, I have had a lot of influence on my life that made me who I am today. Both the good and the bad have med me who I am today.  Although sometimes I wish I could change some things, it has made me the strong, independent young woman that I am today.

Happiness

I have contemplated what makes me happy a lot this week. But I find it difficult to interpret. I have things, I think that make me happy, but at the same time, have I ever really been happy? Happiness is very subjective and I find it hard to find a way to quantify that. The things I feel like I may happy with include:

- Friends

- Family

- Learning

- Traveling

- Baking/Grilling/Cooking

- Music (especially Bruno Mars, and Linkin Park)

- Practicing yoga

- Running

- Dancing

- Reading

Each of these things I feel are things that make me happy in moderation. But too much of something can be unpleasant as well. The bottom six are outlets for me to find my inner thoughts and ideas. There is not much that really makes me 100% happy, so it is hard to come up with really good things.

THINK BIG

I was reading Gifted Hands by Ben Carson and he brings up this idea of THINK BIG. He actually goes more in depth with is in another book called Think Big: Unleashing your Potential for Excellence.

THINK BIG 

By: Ben Carson

T=Talent

Learn to recognize and accept your God-given talents (and we all have them). Develop those talents and use them in the career you choose. Remembering T for talent puts you far ahead of the game if you take advantage of what God gives you.

T also=Time

Learn the importance of time. When you are always on time, people can depend on you. You prove your trustworthiness. Learn not to waste time, because time is money and time is effort. Time usage is also a talent. God gives some people the ability to manage time. The rest of us have to learn how. And we can!

H=Hope

Don’t go around with a long face, expecting something bad to happen. Anticipate good things; watch for them.

H also=Honesty

When you do anything dishonest, you must do something else dishonest to cover it up, and your life becomes hopelessly complex. The same with telling lies. If you’re honest you don’t have to remember what you said the last time. Speaking the truth makes life amazingly simple.

 I=Insight

Listen and learn from people who have already been where you want to go. Benefit from their mistakes instead of repeating them. Read good books like the Bible because they open up new worlds of understanding.

 N=Nice

Be nice to people-all people. If you’re nice to people they’ll be nice to you. It takes much less energy to be nice than it does to be mean. Being kind, friendly, and helpful takes less energy and relieves much of the pressure.

 K=Knowledge

Knowledge is the key to independent living, the key to all your dreams, hopes, and aspirations. If you are knowledgeable, particularly more knowledgeable than anybody else in the field, you become invaluable and write your own ticket.

 B=Books

I emphasize that active learning from reading is better than passive learning such as listening to lectures or watching television. When you read, your mind must work by taking in letters and connecting them to form words. Words make themselves into thoughts and concepts. Developing good reading habits is something like being a champion weightlifter. The champion didn’t go into the gym one day and start lifting 50o pounds. He toned his muscles, beginning with lighter weights always building up, preparing for more. It’s the same thing with intellectual feats. We develop our minds by reading, by thinking, by figuring out things for ourselves.

 I=In-Depth Learning

Superficial learners cram for exams but know nothing two weeks later. In-depth learners find that the acquired knowledge becomes a part of them. They understand more about themselves and their world. They keep building on prior understanding by piling on new information.

 G=God

Never get too big for God. Never drop God out of your life.

I feel that this way of thought is a good thing to live by, something to aspire to to be successful. I feel that success cannot be measured by money, material things, and awards. Success is the ability to adapt and be flexible for whatever life throws at you. Success is a feeling and it varies from person to person. Success is overcoming obstacles, doubts, and your own fear. To be successful, one must consider the aspects of THINK BIG and live by them (or at least most of them). Be open to change and greet it with enthusiasm.

My aha moment...

While in the deep woods of western Kentucky….surrounded by nature, water, and bugs, and lack of technology I had lots of time to reflect on my past, present, and future. IT was kind of nice to escape from the world of modern technology, but after a few days, I couldn’t handle it any more.

Camp had its ups and downs. I had some moments when I thought, “Why am I going to put myself through this?” “How am I going to afford this?” “Am I good enough?” But with some of the sessions, I realized that I am not alone in my thoughts. McNair has given me a sense of security and comfort. I have a support system and each person is going through similar things, and it helps put me at ease to know that people will be there when I need them, as I will be there for them.

I have decent grades. They are not great, but they are not terrible by any means. One of my biggest worries is that. But in Maureen’s session she showed many scholars who had less than stellar gpas that still made it into grad school and even got fully funded. It helped me be a little more comfortable with the facts. I am still going to be trying my best to finish off strong.

Another thing I learned was that a test, such as the GRE, does not define you and cannot clearly measure you ability to succeed in grad school and in your future. I have never been good at standardized tests, and that is one of my biggest fears, because for medical school I need the MCAT, and I need to get decent scores. But at the same time, I know that I cannot let this test define me and take over.

Have some time to think about my future, I realized that this is what I want to do. I will get my MD, but whether I get my PhD, I have not figured that out. There are just so many options I can pursue. I do however know I will continue my education and I will do whatever fascinates me.

For my aha moment, I came to the realization that I am special, I am me. I have come farther in my short time on earth, and anyone in my family, and I will continue to path the way into the unknown. My family may never understand completely what I am doing and why, but I know that they will support me regardless. I am, but then I am not alone in this journey.

My Voice....

For my voice, I am passionate about learning, and the looking at options for the future. I have a passion about learning new things. I love working at the hospital and listening to patients. Each patients has a unique story of how they have come to that point. They also have interesting advice, but they are very willing to give it to help me in the long run. I also love to research, anything and everything. I always want to try to find answers. My family always mocks me, because I will always bring up random facts, but I will always say “Did you know…?” I also have a passion for running, I lost it for a while, but I am finally getting back into it, and I am feeling great.

As for talents, I am good at math, science, running, and dancing. I don’t think I am very good at dancing, but, people tell me I am. I have gotten to the point where I do not care what people think when I dance. But I am think that I am the biggest obstacle. I tend to be very self-conscious. I am my best when I am by myself or even when I am with some of my really close friends.

My values are my education and lifelong learning, my experience with McNair, my family, and my friends. I find it hard to say no, and it tends to be my down fall. I am a people pleaser and I hate when someone is upset, or hurt, and I especially hate confrontation, I will do whatever possible to avoid it. I am lucky to have such great friends and family and they understand, that my education is my top priority, and I am not willing to compromise it.

One thing that I think needs to be fixed the state that this country is in, when considering the healthcare system and the rate of obesity and cardiovascular disease. I am intrigued that the population that typically has the lowest level of education, also has highest rates of poverty and lower access to healthcare, which also correlate to the higher rates of obesity that translates to higher rates of cardiovascular disease. With the dramatic rates of increase in obesity, the rate for cardiovascular will significantly increase as well.

I will be doing cardiovascular epidemiology and studying how the disease will progress in populations. I want to see how this disease can be decreases. I want to study methods effective in decreasing the significance of CVD.

Unfortunately with the political and big business corporations targeting the desire of the people, obesity and CVD rates will significantly increase. That is why I am so interested in looking how it progressing in children. I want my voice to be heard, I want people to be healthy; body, mind, soul, and heart.

My Research

My research is assessing cardiovascular disease risk factors and ultrasound imaging of blood vessels in children. For my research project I will be working in collaboration with Dr. William Saltarelli, PhD. I first got interested in this research when I was a freshman, and Dr. Salt was talking about research that one of his students had started. I finally decided to get involved my junior year, primarily because of the McNair Scholars Program. The risk factors that a team of researchers and I will be assessing include: body mass index (BMI), waist circumference, cholesterol, blood pressure, blood sugar, and aerobic capacity. As for the ultrasound imaging, we will be looking at the carotid intima-media thickness (IMT). This is the thickness of the artery wall in the carotid artery. We will also look at the flow-mediated dilation of the brachial artery. The brachial artery will have a baseline measurement, and then it will be occluded for 5 minutes with a blood pressure cuff. Then when the five minutes are up, the air will be released from the blood pressure cuff. The imaging of the blood vessel will be taken every 30 seconds on a 10 second loop. When all the images have been taken, the dilation of the blood vessel will be measured.

When all the data has been collected, it will be analyzed with a statistic program to determine the correlations. The thought is that the children with more risk factors with have impaired blood vessels.

It started off that I was going to get subjects through the Saginaw Chippewa Tribe, but things have changed due to timing. I will just be working with general population children. As I get more advanced with my experience and my research, I will progress to working with the population that I want. For now I will be working with a team of undergraduate researchers, who share the same passion for this topic and research.

To my fellow scholars:

It may seem to some that I have everything figured out, but in actuality I am more confused than ever. But I have faith that everything will work out the way it is suppose to. McNair is both help me understand where I want to go, but also making me see all these other opportunities that I can take, and it can be a little overwhelming at times.

I will be honest; at the beginning of this journey I was very skeptical. I did not know what to expect and I had my doubts. I am pleasantly surprised. I have gotten to know many great people who all have similar backgrounds as me. Because we each share similar backgrounds we have formed a support system in which each of can help lift each other up to prosper and accomplish great things.  

We are just beginning the Summer Research Institute, the meat of the program, and it is going to be a long rough road ahead, but I know I have a great support system, my fellow scholars. My family doesn’t really understand what I am doing and why, but I know that my fellow scholars will be there to help guide me, just as I will be there for them.

So far we are one week into the SRI, and it has been challenging but rewarding to say the least. I was challenged when doing the high ropes course and the horseback riding. I was also very challenge with the meditation and trying to turn my thoughts off, as well as the personal training. The personal training kicked my butt, I struggled, but with the encouragement from others I was able to finish.

This summer I want to be more balanced. How I will do this is through maintaining a healthy diet, yoga, meditation, other forms of exercise as outlets to remain balanced. When times get tough I have a great support system who will help me move on. With that being said, I am so excited for this summer. I cannot wait to see what it brings.

McNair SRI started this Monday, and so far I have went on the high-ropes course, horse back riding, yoga, meditation, belly dancing, and a training session at Seung-Ni and it is only Thursday. On top of that I have been training for a half marathon which is in July. I am getting a pretty good head start.