Exploring My Major
When I started at UW-Eau Claire, I was a music education major, which is totally opposite of my current studies. I studied this for a year, taking theory classes, music history, applied lessons on clarinet, and I was in many ensembles. Then COVID-19 hit, everyone was sent home, and I was away from my professors for a while. This gave me a lot of time to consider other career options, and I realized I never took into account what I wanted to do, not what I was perceived as "good at".
As a result, I decided to switch my major... to psychology. As I mentioned on my "About" page, I have always been interested in why things are the way they are, including people. I was interested in what influences thinking, behavior, learning, and personalities. Because of this, I took psychology courses including Abnormal Psychology, Child Psychology, and Introduction to Behavior Analysis. I still wasn't satisfied, and I looked back to freshman year of high school when I took biology. I used to dream of deep-diving into genetics, but as I got older people around me told me I would never make it in the sciences, so I gave up. I decided to reclaim that for myself. I switched to a biology major right around my 21st birthday, and decided to go for it, even if I fail at first. Now, I plan on making it my career, and I couldn't be happier with my choice.
Joining McNair
During my junior year, I got contacted by the Ronald E. McNair program on campus and was asked if I was interested in the program and wanted to join. For those who don't know, the Ronald E. McNair program is for first-generation students who are from lower socio-economic classes or underrepresented students (BIPOC) who want to go on to graduate school in a research-focused area. I am a first-generation student and from a family that is of a lower socio-economic class, so I was eligible to join this program. I joined this program because I want to go to grad school, and the McNair program offers many resources for me to achieve that goal. Learning about other students like myself has been an awesome experience. We all have similar goals for our careers, and it is refreshing to meet others who care as much as I do about continuing our education and researching topics important to us. I've been very excited to grow with this program, and I have already made many connections to my peers in my cohort.
Organizations and Involvement
Currently at UW-Eau Claire, I am a part of a few organizations. I am in the Blugold Marching Band, where I play clarinet, and I have been a part of that for 4 years now. I am also in my University's chapter of the National Society of Collegiate Scholars (NSCS), where I currently serve as the Vice President of Community Service and PACE. This is my second year on the board for NSCS, and my third full year being in the organization. I really love my time with these organizations because I met most of my friends through them and I love participating in them. Another program I am a part of is the University's Honors Program, which offers eligible students unique classes and opportunities as well as tutoring and mentoring opportunities.
