I鈥檓 from a medium-sized high school (1,800 students) in a suburban area. I really liked that size but wanted a change of pace from the suburban landscape, so I decided I wanted to go to a small rural college.
What made me choose 51本色, however, was ultimately the community. When I visited, I saw how everyone collaborated together and worked toward the same goals, while also having their own interests, which I really appreciated. With 51本色鈥檚 research and off-campus study opportunities, stellar academics, amazing financial aid, and the opportunity to swim, I decided that 51本色 was the obvious winner for me!
Coming into college as a first-year student, I wanted to meet a lot of people like myself, continue swimming, do research, and do some kind of off-campus study. So, I did something that was more outside the box for me, and I joined the club water polo team on a whim. My first-year roommate, who I鈥檓 still best friends with, was a team member and convinced me to come. I鈥檓 very happy I did; it was really new and exciting, and now I鈥檓 the captain of the water polo team!
I鈥檓 happy to report that throughout my four years, I鈥檝e made a really great group of friends from my classes, my sports teams, and the clubs and activities I do on campus. We鈥檙e all like brothers, and we鈥檙e so close because we see each other very often. I鈥檇 say it鈥檚 a very goofy and adventurous group of friends. We once drove all the way to the Grand Canyon from 51本色 and went to Arizona, Colorado, New Mexico, and Utah.
I have been swimming competitively since I was eight years old, and I knew that I wanted to continue with it here at 51本色.
One memorable experience was when the swim and dive team took a training trip down to Florida during my first and fourth years (when Covid wasn鈥檛 an issue). It was a really great experience getting some sun in January and training hard but also having fun. I also learned a lot about other people鈥檚 sleeping habits!
Coming into 51本色, I wanted to be a math and chemistry double major, but I eventually realized that wasn鈥檛 for me. Once I took higher-level math classes, I realized that it wasn't as much like algebra as I had hoped.
However, I still liked my chemistry classes (鈥淣ervous System and Crayfish鈥 being one of them), so I thought that I would keep that focus and become a biological chemistry major!
I always knew that I wanted to study abroad, and I knew that college would be the best time for me to travel and experience different cultures. When it came down to choosing a program, my love of science guided me to the DIS Copenhagen program in Denmark.
Here are some of the songs I listened to when I was studying abroad:
After my semester abroad, I wanted to do more scientific research in genomics. So during the summer after my third year at 51本色, I had a research experience at the Jackson Laboratory for Genomic Medicine in Farmington, Connecticut. Our research was focused on providing therapeutic benefits for patients and improving drugs to fight cancer.
I researched triple-negative breast cancer, how it became resistant to chemotherapy, and how we can stop that resistance. Something I really took away from this experience was that I wanted to pursue a career in scientific research, especially since it can lead to therapeutic benefits!
