Undergraduate / "The field of neuroscience, Fulfilling Curiosity" UC Prompt #1, help/comments [4]

Prompt 1: "Describe the world you come from -- for example, your family, community or school -- and tell us how your world has shaped your dreams and aspirations."

"In the course of a man's higher education, everything becomes interesting; he knows how to find the instructive side of a matter quickly, and to indicate the point where it can fill up a hole in his thinking, or confirm an idea." - Friedrich Nietzsche. Growing up in Clovis as the only son and middle child of a family of five - with a school nurse as a mother and a father in law enforcement - I have learned to be humble and extremely grateful for a rewarding and productive life. From such a positive setting, it was easy to establish the drive to better myself in different aspects. Through both family and school, I have acquired the respect for knowledge and the curiosity necessary to shape my aspirations of studying the brain.

Furthering my education was never presented to me as an option by my family. I grew up as one of three kids and have proudly gained the stereotype of 'the smart one'. Since my older sister, a 3-sport varsity athlete, and my younger sister, a popular leadership student and class president, seemed to exhibit their own individual and substantial strengths, it was only natural that I worked hard to uphold and refine my own. From my family I developed to be confident in my skills and tenacious in working for them. Assuming that niche not only gave me reason to flourish in school but, it allowed me to find an appreciation for the pursuit of knowledge. "Filling holes in my thinking" became an endeavor that eventually sparked my interest in subjects like biology and psychology.

School has greatly contributed to fueling my internal drive and curiosity. Being an honors and AP student, I have been immersed in a competitive environment in which teachers have always encouraged me to ask questions. Nurturing curiosity has meant a lot to me and, in the past I constantly embraced the opportunity to ask questions and to ultimately 'confirm ideas'. It is this curiosity and desire to match explanations with questions that have made me want to pursue a career in research.

Bettering myself through academics, gaining insight into how things work, and allowing curiosity to further my quest for knowledge have all been ideals instilled in me by the world that I come from. As a result, researching and studying biology has become an ambition of mine. I hope to someday satiate my curiosity and expand my knowledge base answering questions and proposing ideas in the field of neuroscience.