Hello my lovely readers, today I am bringing back monthly updates! The last one I did was in April, and I've definitely missed them but they are back! For those who don't know, last year I started my monthly update blogs which I posted at the end of each month and share all the details that I've been up to that month. Now that the semester has started I have a lot to share!
My Birthday
September is my birthday month! I am now 19 and I had a really great celebration with my family and boyfriend. Click here to read more!
Fall 2018 Semester
My semester has gotten off to a great start. I am really interested in the subjects that I am taking. This semester I am taking Organic Chemistry and lab, Intro to Molecular and Cellular Biology and lab, French, and my gemstone courses. So far I've been understanding material, but I know that this will be a more challenging semester than last semester as the material gets more challenging. Good news is I aced my first biology exam!
This last week I had my first organic chemistry exam which I felt really nervous about! This class is known as a super hard class and a weed out for pre-med students, so I have this fear that I would fail and it would be a sign that I shouldn't be a doctor which is obviously crazy! If you want to read more about how it's like to be pre-med you can read more here.
The great news is that I did well! I got a 77 which was 15 points above average and a B+ grade on the scale, I'm really proud of myself and will keep working hard towards my next two exams and the final.
I've been really busy, this is just a look at what my week is like. I like to use my schedule to plan out all my times for studying, my assignments, classes, meetings, so I know I'm making the best of every hour of every day!
Gemstone Research
Our team coming up with various research ideas
One super exciting thing about this semester has been my research on allergy treatments with my team. My gemstone team, Team Feat is a undergraduate research team that is trying to find novel and innovative ways to treat allergies.
Within the first month of school we started working on our draft proposal and drafted a 30 page outline including our preliminary literature review, methodology, and timeline. I'm excited to keep researching and finish our proposal by the end of this semester.
We've been having two meetings each week, one with our mentor Dr. Frauwirth who teaches/have taught general biology, cell biology, microbiology (my major) , and immunology which he has his phD in. He has been a great resource to me and my team. I am so grateful for this opportunity to be in the gemstone program because I am learning so much biology that is way above my current courses and learning how to conduct research!
I am the webmaster for my team so please check out our website where I will be posting updates: https://teamfeatumd.wixsite.com/2021
Gemstone Leadership
I am really happy to announce my new leadership role in Gemstone program as Director of Strategic Outreach!
Through this position I will be assisting the gemstone staff with strategic outreach events such as open houses, welcome week, orientation, and more. Something else I will be doing is addressing diversity related issues within the program by targeting minority groups and bringing them together to form a stronger community. I will keep you all updated!
Charles R Drew Pre-Health Society
This year I am serving as secretary for Charles R Drew Pre-Health Society! This societies goal is to support minority students going into pre-health professions through programming, community service, and meetings in which we bring in successful professionals in the area. I am so happy to be on this executive board because they provide me with a great support system and every single person is so kind and smart.
Being a pre-med student is very difficult and stressful but I try to stay focused on the light at the end of the tunnel. I feel so passionate about providing quality healthcare and addressing health care disparities in this country.
September was a great month! I am so thankful for everything and everyone in my life. I hope that October brings more blessings and happiness to everyone.
xoxo,
Kye