Stem EE about me

Since a young age, I have always had an interest in science and anything pertaining to it. I would catch butterflies, grasshoppers, literally anything I could get my little hands on. For me it was about exploring my curiosities, and it opened my mind to the world outside of my house. This love for science grew throughout the years, most notably when I got glasses during fourth grade. Initially I hated them, they were ugly, I had to be more careful when horsing around, and worst of all I got called the dreaded “four-eyes” a few times. However, once that initial rebellion subsided I came to be interested in them. After all, why didn’t my brother have to have glasses? What made my eyes different, and how did two oval shaped pieces of glasses make them see normally? These are types of questions that were always burning inside me, and are what I believe to have really sparked my interest in joining a STEM field, and my far reaching dream of becoming a doctor.

The most pertinent example of a struggle I have overcome is from my first year of High School. I came from a different school than everyone else, having been enrolled in the Montessori school for all my life: it was quite a culture shock moving to a public school with different ways of doing academics, sports and a different social life.  I didn’t know how to study effectively for the new academic system, and consequently my grades showed it. While they were nowhere near awful, they were lower than what I had hoped. So towards the end of the year I made a change, I put my academic responsibility on my own shoulders and didn’t aspire to get the good grades for my parents, or for anyone else but me. I feel that this has helped me in many regards, especially as I progressed into harder classes. It helped me overcame an initial bad grade in chemistry, and walk out with an A from one of the most dreaded classes in my high school. I even decided to pursue a major in chemistry after my experience.

Ever since the summer of junior year, I was a lifeguard at the local YMCA. I found it to be a rewarding job, and I gained some knowledge and money during the course of my employment. Being a lifeguard is heavily medical and science oriented, one must know how to save a patron from a heart attack, choking, drowning, and other hazards. I learned a lot of things while working there, not all of which is directly related to STEM. I learned to have better people skills, and how to deal with belligerent adults who could not understand why their little Johnny was not allowed to run all over the deck, despite the multitude of signs all over. My firm opinion is that to be successful requires a well balanced approach to learning, and that one doesn’t necessarily have to be in school to be learning.

In my final paragraph I would like to discuss what I want to make of the future, and to share some fears that I harbor. One of those being, am I good enough to be here? After all, there are roughly 60,000 other students competing for good grades and opportunities. I want to eventually go to med school and become a doctor. I know that I did not choose the easiest path for my future, nor would I want to, but there is still a small whisper of doubt inside me. I must constantly assure myself that yes, I do belong here, and that yes, I can make my aspirations become a reality.