A Young Scientist by Rachel

A Young Scientist by Rachel - August 2019 Scholarship Essay

An entire year to myself would be used to explore the neighboring states near me. I do not necessarily have the budget to travel half around the world like other fortunate people do but, I can make do with what I have if I stay relatively nearby. I would most likely rent an air bnb if possible and if not too pricey. My first destination would be Maine, of course, because it is right across the bridge from where I currently live. I would also plan on going to Massachusetts, Vermont, and maybe up to Canada as well.
I would spend my days going to very touristy places to not only experience what others see in those sites but to take pictures as well. I would love to take pictures of the areas I visit and label them with the date. I would do this for every state I travel to. After seeing all of the touristy places, I would really just like to wander in the heart of the town I am in and see what I stumble upon. Observe what is around me and jot down what I see in a miniature notebook as if I was in a top rated movie. See what kind of people are around me; are the people slender, tall, do they have a nice tan? How do they dress? Do they have different traditions? What are popular dishes served in those states? Does being closer to the ocean affect the way the general population behavaves, personality wise? (I really am interested in this question because there has been some research that people who live in warmer places are generally more outgoing and likeable. However, since most of these states are in the same vicinity, I do not know how well this experiment would work out but I would certainly like to try this in other states not in the new england region of the U.S. In addition, this would be neat if I used some programs like Excel to somewhat rate the personality of people I meet or see communicating with others in normal daily life experiences.) How do they speak English compared to where I live in small town Portsmouth, NH? Do they use slang words?
Overall, I would act like I would if I were in college studying for my biochemistry major; I would be a scientist. And I would not want to be anything else because, that is what I believe is my destiny and I thoroughly enjoy the role of being an experimenter/researcher to come to sometimes, valuable conclusions.