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Welcome to my adventure.

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In my first year of college, I remember feeling completely overwhelmed with opportunity (in retrospect, what a privilege). Everywhere I looked, there were courses taught by professors at the cutting edge of their fields; clubs to join and activities to explore (no prior experience required!); an entire city full of world-renowned institutions in my areas of study. I wanted to take part in everything and filled every waking hour– and hours I should’ve been sleeping, too– with these interests, from academic to professional to musical and athletic. And while I was having an incredibly exciting time exploring these interests, new and old, I always had some level of anxiety in the back of my mind that I was running full speed down a path to becoming a "jack of all trades and master of none." When I’m applying to med school, are the reviewers really going to understand why I spent so much time playing sousaphone and learning about squishy Puget Sound invertebrates? Do I really understand why?

 

When I learned about the Honors Program during my freshman year, the focus on interdisciplinary learning was extremely compelling to me. This program finally gave me a space where it was a strength rather than a weakness to have a diverse range of interests; where my marine biology major, Spanish minor, fascination with medicine, and tuba-playing skills made sense, even when taken together. In Honors classes I was thrilled to feel like I was being taught as much from my peers and their unique perspectives as from my professors, who all fostered a wonderfully growth-centered environment for learning. These courses gave me the confidence to feel valid in my own life experience and to see the strength in my individuality even when– especially when– collaborating with others. 

 

As my graduation approaches, I’ve been reflecting on the considerable learning and growth that I’ve experienced over the past five years. It makes me proud to realize that I’ve stopped measuring the significance of my experiences by what they may do for my med school applications, but by what they do for me as a person. While I feel confident that my hard work and dedication to learning have more than prepared me for my next steps, I’ve matured enough to know that even if my journey veers off the path I’ve been planning for, I have plenty of options in front of me. I am more energized than ever to take on these next challenges, and deeply humbled by all that I still have to learn.

Learning Statement...

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