It’s odd to be writing my final blog entry outside of Charleston, Oregon. It makes me feel sad knowing that a chapter in my life has officially ended, but also hopeful of what is coming next. I think some of my biggest hopes for the program were that it would help refine my interests and better my academic trajectory. Coming from community college, research opportunities were few and even more scarce were labs able to provide prospective students with meaningful and rewarding opportunities. Without a shred of doubt, I can say that the OIMB REU Exploration of Marine Biology on the Oregon Coast (EMBOC) program has been the most transformative experience of my life. Talking to several people throughout the program and even sending out some late-night emails, I realize that none of us truly know where we will end up in life. That being said, I believe that this program set me up to reach newer heights that I would not have been able to reach on my own. I am reminded of Robert F. Smith’s, “Bus No. 13,” speech and how he viewed the bus program as a vector of his success because it allowed him to leave his impoverished community to attend schools in a more affluent one that were well-equipped to educate its students. It may be a little early to say, but I believe that I will see the impacts of this program for years to come. I have matured and gained a plethora of knowledge and skills in just 9 weeks. This has been my bus, or ship, that has taken me much farther in life than I would ever reached on my own. When my parents first came to this country, they did not have the fortune of knowing English or being able to go to school. They lived a hardworking lifestyle, and that strong work ethic was transcended into my siblings and I. Unfortunately, they could not offer me much to better prepare my educational experience. I also came from an area of poorly funded schools and I feel as if though I also slipped through the cracks. Community college offered me a way to better prepare for university and I gained a wholesome education from being there. This program, however, just took the fire I had and poured gasoline on it. It met all my expectations and more. Although the final week had turned out to be the one that went the fastest, it was also the most eventful. I got to speak to a couple of researchers that had or are actively doing research in genetics and gave me valuable insight on the field and advice going forward. Completing the poster and presenting it at the symposium was great for synthesizing my data and showcasing it to the scientific community. Admittedly, I was flustered at first, but I eventually shook out the jitters the more people came up and asked questions. It was great being able to interact with all the people I saw throughout the summer and show them exactly what I had been up to. All the REU’s posters were stunning, and it was great that we all could make it to that point together. I don’t think any of us in the beginning of the program would have imagined all that we ended up finding. By the end of the poster session, we took a group photo with all the REUs in front of the iconic OIMB sign and soon afterwards we headed to Maya’s house for the final potluck. We all started collecting blackberries for Maya to make a pie with. Now that I think of it, it was a nice gesture to end the summer with something that we all helped make together. We all sat around, enjoyed food, listened to Svetlana tear it up on the guitar, laughed as George poked fun at me, and were bouncing around conversations. We made our goodbyes and headed back to dorms where we got to spend the last moments together with each other and the University of Oregon students. It is amazing to think how much we all became friends and enjoyed the time we spent with each other. I don’t think any of us will forget this experience and I think we will always remember OIMB Summer 2019. There are so many people that I would want to thank for my time here. My deepest regards to Svetlana, Christina, Megan, Nicole, and Kara, for all the advice that you gave me throughout the program especially for troubleshooting and helping me get through some of the toughest moments. A huge thanks to Caitlin, Clara, Lauren, and Dean for the advice that you gave me on my poster during those final weeks and helping me put it all together. Thanks to George, Phil, Sadie, Nina, and Christina for allowing me to bumble into the other side of the lab and sit in on the microscopy sessions and catch jellyfish. Thanks to Craig Young lab; Matt for always being up to throw the frisbee around and Kaylee for always bringing her musical spirit( I will never forget you playing backup as we all turned into water drops), and Craig for allowing me to go into your lab even though I didn’t have much reason to be in there. Thanks to the South Sloo lab for allowing me to borrow waders; thanks to Sophia for being the best orator that has ever stepped foot onto OIMB campus, Bree for giving advice on population genetics, and Renee, who was always quick to burn me and bring out the fact that I clapped during the wrong time (and who still owes me two games of foosball!). Big thanks to the Galloway lab; Hannah and Steven always had plenty of style and laughs to share for all of us, thanks to Natalie for all her sage REU advice that she gave to us newbies, an incredible thanks to Ross for his R workshop, thanks to Julie and Aaron for their talks at PubSci and OIMB. Thanks to every OIMB seminar speaker for giving some of the best talks in the marine biology field. All the University of Oregon students were great, but a big shout out to Butters, Zack, Lincoln, and Mackenzie. A humble thanking to Newt, Jesse, Lisa, Debbie, and the rest of the entire OIMB crew for keeping the entire campus and ship in great shape. Last but not least, I would like to thank Maya and Richard for being the best directors we could have hoped for and the NSF grant that could fund all of our ventures. I hope to see everyone again in the future!
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AuthorI’m a first-generation college student. I like enjoying the outdoors and finding new hiking trails. Archives
August 2019
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