Please briefly elaborate on one of your extracurricular activities or work experiences.
In order to further my passion for scientific research, I became the first high school intern at UCLA's renowned Feigon Lab, working under the guidance of Dr. Feigon, National Academy of Sciences member, Dr. Miracco, and Anooj Patel. In addition to performing standard lab duties, I focused on the labeling and purification of Telomerase, an enzyme that, when involved in certain cancers, facilitates unregulated cell division. Having never taken higher-level biology before, I experienced some frustration as I hunched over my laptop for hours, making sense of an exorbitant number of research papers. With practice, however, I became fluent in the previously unintelligible language of science. Tuesday group meetings were something to look forward to, both to hear the latest findings of a colleague and to present my own work. After my colleagues observed me conducting my own projects, reading scientific journals, and participating in group meetings, they were able to entrust me with setting up their experiments. I have always known science as theoretical, filled with rules and equations. During my time in the lab, however, I discovered a new outlook. Initially starting out as a place to work, the lab became my second home--filled with comfort, satisfaction, and companionship.
In order to further my passion for scientific research, I became the first high school intern at UCLA's renowned Feigon Lab, working under the guidance of Dr. Feigon, National Academy of Sciences member, Dr. Miracco, and Anooj Patel. In addition to performing standard lab duties, I focused on the labeling and purification of Telomerase, an enzyme that, when involved in certain cancers, facilitates unregulated cell division. Having never taken higher-level biology before, I experienced some frustration as I hunched over my laptop for hours, making sense of an exorbitant number of research papers. With practice, however, I became fluent in the previously unintelligible language of science. Tuesday group meetings were something to look forward to, both to hear the latest findings of a colleague and to present my own work. After my colleagues observed me conducting my own projects, reading scientific journals, and participating in group meetings, they were able to entrust me with setting up their experiments. I have always known science as theoretical, filled with rules and equations. During my time in the lab, however, I discovered a new outlook. Initially starting out as a place to work, the lab became my second home--filled with comfort, satisfaction, and companionship.
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