Archive for February, 2012

For most of my life, my mind spun in every direction, looking for answers among chaos – I wanted to know everything about life. When I was introduced to Biology, my knowledge of life became more structured. Like the double helix which creates the foundation of all life, studying Biology created a foundation for my love of knowledge.

I have become increasingly passionate about seeking out scientific answers to questions about living organisms. Biology is so vast and unexplored that there are infinite opportunities for discovery, which excites me more than anything. Indeed, my interest in

Biology and experimentation stems from an early curiosity regarding how organisms are able to live. As a child, I once attempted to keep pill bugs as pets by sealing them in a large plastic container. Obviously, they ran out of oxygen and died. I modified the experiment; including a small plant in their enclosure. I was interested to see that the more closely the bugs’ artificial habitat mirrored their natural habitat, the more they thrived. This endeavor introduced me to the idea that each organism is connected. With this in mind, I sought to discover how these organisms create an ecosystem as well as how they function as individuals. My interest in Biology evolved into a passion and I began to look for opportunities around me in order to immerse myself in this fascinating world.

Throughout my adolescence, my passion steadily grew to such a degree to where

I sought active involvement in a service learning program called Global Leadership Adventures. The summer before my junior year of high school, I went to the Galapagos Islands, where I was a teen volunteer in Cerro Mesa, a National Park, working to restore the natural habitat of the plants and animals so that they could continue to grow and reproduce in their ecosystem. We removed non-indigenous species of plants that were detrimental to theIslands’ unique ecosystem and planted species that would restore the natural habitat. We also observed how each species of plants and animals evolved to be completely unique to theirIsland. While volunteering, I developed an understanding of how certain species evolve according to their habitat. My ability to comprehend natural selection, the explanation for evolution, pleased me because it answered one of the many questions I had about life sciences. My passion has been bolstered by this small discovery; exploration created a sense of fulfillment.

Despite my joy from being able to grasp certain aspects of how life works, I am still perturbed by the fact that I have only scratched surface. It is true that I have explored a few intricacies of the world of Biology, and my life has been made richer because of this curiosity. However, because I am a vociferous learner by nature, a minimal knowledge of life itself would not be enough to satiate me. By studying Biology, I hope to understand that which now seems enigmatic and discover every unexplored aspect of life.

This past summer, I journeyed east over the Atlantic, to the western coast of
Africa in hope of realizing a personal dream. I had the privilege of participating in
a Global Leadership Adventures service program in the Volta Region of Ghana, and
gained a chance to immerse myself in a foreign culture and connect with its people.
For three weeks, I worked and taught a classroom of forty-four eager primary
students at a rural school called Rhema, where the headmaster’s desk sits under a
colossal mango tree.

There, on a Wednesday morning, while my service group mixed cement
for bricks, the students gathered nearby with the headmaster’s wife for song and
prayer. As I listened to the girls and boys sing passionately in their native Ewe
and dance to the pulsating beat of the drums, I felt compelled to drop my shovel
and join them. This wave of belonging touched me; never had I felt such joy and
togetherness. Here I was, a white stranger, welcomed and invited into their world
to fully experience the act of rejoicing. This single moment showed me that in spite
of their real deprivations – a scarcity of school materials, inadequate staffing, and
poor health conditions– these people know how to live blissfully, bound by the
richness and brotherhood in their community.

My experience in Ghana is not simply a tale of performing good deeds. Yes,
our service team produced over 650 bricks for a new schoolhouse. Yes, I helped
encourage both leadership and learning among the young students of Rhema. Yes, I
made a personal commitment to maintain ties with the local leaders I met. But for
me, my three-week service trip became my own treasure. The strength of the
human spirit I witnessed within the Ghanaian community has inspired me to build a
kinder, more joyful community here at home. As Student Executive Board president
of my 2,027-student high school, I hope to bring a bit of “Ghana” to my suburban
school environment. At Rhema, I saw moments of pure spirit — life stripped down of
all misfortunes. If I am able to recreate such camaraderie and heart at just one
school event aimed at helping a family in need or a local cause, I will have
succeeded.

My service travel experience with Global Leadership Adventures helped me
realize the trials and tribulations that communities face. But, in good or bad times,
there is always an opportunity to become whole. One family, one community.

During the summer of 2011, my interest in working with mentally and
physically handicapped children led me to book a trip to China with an
organization called Global Leadership Adventures. As I prepared for my
trip, I knew I would meet incredible people, but I never expected to meet
Claire. She was an 11-year-old girl living in an orphanage called The New
Day Foundation in rural Beijing. Claire had suffered from heart failure, a
severe lung infection and multiple surgeries that almost killed her.
Seeing her made me think about the things we take for granted everyday;
like clean drinking water, computers and proper health care. Interacting
with Claire and the rest of the children with mental and physical
disabilities in the orphanage brought into focus how all of these kinds of
children, no matter where they are from, require the same attention from
dedicated caregivers to have successful lives.