Pursuing A Biology Personal Statement

1. What experiences have influenced your interest in STEM and your intended major? Growing up with a mother in healthcare, my sisters and I were always fascinated by the medical world. We spent hours watching Untold Stories of the ER and Grey’s Anatomy. Aside from the drama, I loved watching the doctors work through the patient's symptoms in order to conclude a diagnosis and treatment. This child-like interest began to grow as my mother shared more of her stories caring for patients after surgeries, and I found myself asking, “What procedure did they have done?”, “What medication did you have to give them?”, “How long will they need to recover?” From there, I began to imagine a future in medicine and thriving in the fast-paced environment

Because of this, along with my previous interest in biology, I chose to challenge myself further in my junior year and take AP Biology. The course truly held me to a higher standard and exposed me to advanced topics I never knew existed. My classmates and I learned to write formal lab reports, conduct our own experiments, analyze data, and observe living organisms from new perspectives. Not only did I dedicate myself to the materials and labs covered in class, but I spent hours outside of school pushing myself to study and learn as much about the topics as I could, and I actively enjoyed the challenge. At this point, I knew I wanted to pursue a career in STEM with a biology background, but it was not until my participation in Penn State Medicine’s PULSE (Pre-Health program for Underrepresented Leaders in STEM Education) program that I fully committed to a medical-based

From reviewing the clubs and activities offered at Duquesne, I have already found several that I would be interested in joining such as professional associations for health science majors and the Physician Assistant Association. These clubs provide an excellent opportunity to meet new people with similar interests as well as to receive advice from upperclassmen who have gone through similar courses. Aside from these clubs, I am also interested in the Duquesne Honors College and the collaborative design of the courses. Throughout high school, I have always found that seminar and open-discussion classes allow one to hear new perspectives and ideas that challenge their own, and I think this is a valuable style of learning that offers more freedom and creativity than lecture style