One Thing Missing by Suneha

One Thing Missing by Suneha - August 2023 Scholarship Essay

I had no idea what I was walking into when I entered 8th period on the first day of my senior year. AP Research. The class that many seniors told me not to take, as its grueling coursework requirements along with a stressed teacher would only add to the stress of college applications. But I didn't listen; I knew that I wanted to research, and I wasn't afraid of the amount of work that was required. At first, everything was running smoothly. I was one of the few students in the class to secure a position in a lab with a professor this early in the school year! She was working on skin cancer, a topic that hit close to home, and that I was very passionate about. However, within weeks, I quickly encountered my first obstacle. In an email, my professor wrote that due to a policy change about minors in the lab, I would have to find a larger lab to work with; her lab only included herself and a graduate student. As soon as I read the email, I realized I was back to square one. I had to start from scratch and find an entirely new lab! After about a month of panicking, emailing, and stressing, I gratefully found another lab to work in. This lab worked on SARS-CoV-2, the viral strain that caused the COVID-19 pandemic.
My project focused on finding the likely binding sites of two proteins (IRF3 and ORF7a) using different predicted models of the complex. Compared to others in my AP Research class, my work seemed much less complicated. All it was was computers modeling the binding sites between two proteins; meanwhile, my classmates were killing cancer cells, saving the environment with biodegradables, and researching Alzheimer's. When the time came to apply to local science fairs, I had high hopes for my peers to advance to state and national levels, but for my project, those prospects looked bleak. I didn't mind it, I had accepted that that might be my fate. But that didn't mean I couldn't try my best; just as I chose to take the class, I chose to work hard to present my research for these fairs. Many science fairs later, I got an email from the results of the Buckeye Science and Engineering Fair. It said, "An alphabetic listing of the students who will advance to the 2nd Round include," and below this and 9 other names, was my name. My first reaction was confusion. I began questioning what this fair even was, where 2nd round would lead me, and making sure I had submitted the right items. After rewatching my 15-minute video presentation and reading through my abstract and research paper, I began celebrating. "I guess they really liked my project!" All the congratulations from my peers began slowly pouring in, and my confusion turned to gratitude.
The winners from the 2nd round would be named International Science and Engineering Fair (ISEF) finalists; the six finalists would be one of 1,800 finalists from over 75 countries. I began looking at the other 9 semi-finalists' projects in awe, it was no wonder their projects were selected! I wondered, "What on earth was my project doing there?" But I pushed those thoughts down, and began preparing for Round 2. This round would include an interview-style questioning by a panel of judges on Zoom. I checked the dates in disbelief; on that morning, I would be leaving for the airport to go back home from Jamaica! But again, I didn't let this challenge deter me. Whatever I had to do, I would work hard to achieve it. Every day in Jamaica for at least half an hour, I would practice the two-minute elevator pitch I had to give the judges, along with brainstorming some questions they might have. The day of the Zoom meeting finally came; as soon as I thanked the judges and wished them goodbye, I ran out of the hotel room with my suitcase and boarded the bus to the airport.
Weeks later, the day they would announce the ISEF finalists was here! Unfortunately -- just as my luck would have it -- I had fallen ill. Though I had attained my scuba diving certification, I had also gained a very painful ear infection. While the Zoom meeting was announcing my name as a finalist, I was snoozing on the couch taking a three-hour nap. I found out I was named a finalist, as well as a Melvin Scholar and recipient of the Yale Science and Engineering Award, in a voicemail from my AP Research teacher. Hearing the pride and excitement in her voice made me realize that in this whole journey, that was what was missing from me. I had been so busy getting caught up in the drawbacks of my project, that I forgot to celebrate my efforts. Even if I hadn’t been named a Finalist, I still put in the same amount of work for my project, and that is worthy of giving me a sense of achievement. On the surface level, being named an ISEF Finalist is a prestigious title, but the lessons I learned on the way to becoming one are far greater. I know now to not ever give up, even when the odds are not in my favor. And most importantly, to celebrate every win, even the small ones.