1.
2. In grade 5 we learned about cells and the human body. I was so
fascinated I inadvertently memorized the skeletal system. Two years
later in grade 7 I decided to present a study on eukaryote cells. My
entire class AND my teacher repeatedly told me it was the most boring
topic they had ever heard, that my presentation was full of boring facts
that weren't nearly as interesting as I made them out to be. People
actually fell asleep. I was so engaged with cytology that I thought
they were all joking! It wasn't until last year (at age 21) that I
realized...they were genuinely bored by cells. Unfathomable!
3. When I was 14 I came home from school and approached my parents at the dinner table, "Mom...Dad...can I have four hundred dollars?!"
"What?! WE DON'T HAVE FOUR HUNDRED DOLLARS! WHAT DO YOU NEED FOUR HUNDRED DOLLARS FOR!?"
"I want to go to Science Camp at the science centre."
"Oh! Do you want $800 so you can go twice?"
4. Last summer I applied for one job, and one job only. (In part because my job application process was cut short due to Lolo's stroke.) After Angie called and offered me the job, I did a little jig, pounced on Lolo`s bed and yelled, "I GOT THE JOB AT THE SCIENCE CENTRE!!!" Of course all the other men in his hospital room wanted to know what had happened, especially since we had fostered a lovely sense of camaraderie and I was happy to dance around the room and let them all know. It took some consideration, but with Lolo and Lola's blessings I took the position and reveled in the absolute nerdiness of it. I struggled with my energy throughout the summer, but it was an experience I will never forget.
5. Anytime I have gotten films or imaging done, I've tried to collect the results. Included below are several x-rays, pre- and post-surgery, a CT scan and an MRI.
"WE ARE STARDUST" SPELLED IN AMINO ACIDS TATTOOED ON MY ARM. Tryptophan, glutamic acid. Alanine, arginine, glutamic acid. Serine, threonine, alanine, arginine, asparatic acid, selenocysteine, serine, threonine.
I hope some stern but loving prof chastises me for writing a test with notes so blatantly written on my arm...only to discover that they cannot be scrubbed off. "Well, you're not going to have those notes your whole life!"
"Actually sir..."
This is the point where my prof discovers my true dedication to science and takes my suggestion for a new study which will be on the cover of the New England Journal of Medicine and I will be (the well-deserved) first-author which will be so amazing I get a full scholarship into every medical school in North America. (The US med schools will also offer comprehensive health insurance.)