Lab Rats by Derek

Lab Rats by Derek - June 2024 Scholarship Essay

I always wonder how something so infinitesimally small, such as a cell, fits with another cell so perfectly to form an organism, that will then affect an ecosystem, that will then affect the world. In my life, I prioritize exploration, indirectly and hands-on, and science, especially biology, has been the subject that fits that quality best. To chase this goal, I have pursued an informal education through internships and weekend academies.

Biology is the investigation of everything that we are made of, down to the last atom. It’s the scientific “tree” that explores and explains all life on earth. My professional goal is to apply my biology major to where people need it most, namely medicine and medical research. To realize this, I took up extracirricular and summer courses, as well as internships. In the summer of 2022, I was accepted into a healthcare program at the University of District of Columbia. In this program, we were taught basic patient care skills and anatomy to prepare for healthcare careers. During the summer of 2023, I decided to take a research route and engage in a laboratory internship at the Uniformed Services University in Bethesda, Maryland with the Oak Ridge Institute for Science and Education. My research was focused on the effects of traumatic brain injury on the development of cardiovascular diseases in veterans. We utilized a rat model and Western blots to quantify certain biomarkers of cardiovascular disease. This hands-on experience and informal education has confirmed my desire to major in biology in college and my career aspirations.