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It’s hard to believe that four years can zip by just like that. As much as I’m sad to leave Rice this May, I’m excited also about what the future holds. I know that all of my experiences over the last four years have fueled tremendous personal growth and have given me perspective on my aspirations and hopes. Many of my professors at Rice have mentored me through academic projects tailored to my interests and inclinations. And although I have been challenged and inspired by my professors and mentors, much of my personal growth and learning actually occurred outside of the classroom, where I was exposed to individuals from a variety of backgrounds, beliefs, and cultures.
Being a native Californian, I initially found moving to Houston to be quite a transition; however, the residential college system really filled the void of being so far away from family. My closest friends over the past few years have been roommates, other Martel college residents, and people I met through extracurricular activities such as student organizations. Some of my dearest friends are people I never would have imagined being close to. At Rice, I’ve made lifelong friends and formed meaningful memories with them.
My desire to study two very different subjects—biology and English—has been an academic blessing and an expression of my personality, and I really do feel that I’ve received a broad and thorough undergraduate education at Rice. In the future, I see myself having very different careers and interests as well. I envision practicing medicine in 10 years, but I know that I will be doing something very creative on the side. Going into medicine is my practical career plan, but I have this fantasy of a glamorous and creative career as well. At this point, I cannot say what this creative endeavor will be or whether it will entail interior design, fashion design, or writing, but at this juncture, I am really pleased with my four years spent at Rice, and I feel quite prepared for the next step in my educational path.
This fall, I’ll be attending medical school in California. It always has been a dream of mine to be a physician. I even remember being five years old and examining my teddy bear patients as if I were truly a doctor. I’ve come a long way since then, and medical school is actually a pretty exciting step in my career path. I feel just a little closer to achieving my goal, and that’s a good feeling. My experience at Rice definitely has contributed to my goal of being a superb physician. I think my decision to double major in English and biology will pay off in medical school and beyond. Biology and all of its related subjects are highly integrated into medical study, so hopefully all of those courses and labs that I took at Rice will help me out during the next few years. Being an English major really shaped me into an effective, focused, and critical reader, a skillful writer, and someone with a keen ability to analyze. These are skills that would benefit anyone.
Only the future will tell what sorts of things actually pan out, but there is definitely a creative side to me that will not be suppressed. Medicine and fashion may seem like polar opposites, but so did English and biology. Yet, being an undergraduate at Rice gave me the confidence to pursue my passions regardless of whether or not they were congruent or related. And through my experience at Rice, I have found that when you exercise all of your desires, regardless of their disparity, you really stretch your potential and find the experience highly fulfilling.
