Chemistry Tutor for the Athletic Department
As a chemistry tutor for the athletic department, I gave 1-on-1 sessions to a couple student athletes once or twice each week. This gave me the opportunity to get to know a couple students over the course of a term, while helping them balance their academic load with their athletic schedule.
While my time at Yale influenced me to tutor at my school, I was motivated to work with athletes for another reason. I came to college with the intention of running track. After training with the team for a month, however, I decided to channel that athletic work ethic to my academic and research pursuits, and to maintaining a regular exercise schedule while doing so. Knowing what it is like to be a student athlete at my institution, I sought the opportunity to help student athletes channel that athletic discipline into their coursework. In my tutoring sessions, I first gave the students groundwork for maneuvering through each topic. Then, I let the students do a lot of the teaching. This way, I helped instill in them the perseverance to use the tools they have been exposed to in order to approach new problems. It was always rewarding to see students leave a tutoring session with a breath of fresh air after having arrived with apprehension about their chemistry class. In this experience, it was my goal to lead the students towards a greater appreciation of chemistry. I had one student who, although she despised organic chemistry, grew to value it and found direct application of what I taught her in a project for one of her engineering classes.
While my time at Yale influenced me to tutor at my school, I was motivated to work with athletes for another reason. I came to college with the intention of running track. After training with the team for a month, however, I decided to channel that athletic work ethic to my academic and research pursuits, and to maintaining a regular exercise schedule while doing so. Knowing what it is like to be a student athlete at my institution, I sought the opportunity to help student athletes channel that athletic discipline into their coursework. In my tutoring sessions, I first gave the students groundwork for maneuvering through each topic. Then, I let the students do a lot of the teaching. This way, I helped instill in them the perseverance to use the tools they have been exposed to in order to approach new problems. It was always rewarding to see students leave a tutoring session with a breath of fresh air after having arrived with apprehension about their chemistry class. In this experience, it was my goal to lead the students towards a greater appreciation of chemistry. I had one student who, although she despised organic chemistry, grew to value it and found direct application of what I taught her in a project for one of her engineering classes.
Nursing Home Pianist
During the school year, I play piano for a local nursing home once or twice per month. I perform for the residents of the nursing home for about one hour. Afterwards, I spend 10 to 15 minutes in conversation with them. They see it as an opportunity to relax and enjoy one of the bright parts of life – music.
My time at the nursing home gave me the opportunity to delve into the artistic side of being a physician. As I shared the therapeutic effects of music with my community, this experience showed me that being a physician is also about understanding the human condition and recognizing each person beyond his or her imperfections. It allowed me to relate to many different people on an individual level. While I perform many classic numbers, I share the emotions from my own original compositions, many of which prompt people to think about how their experiences have helped shape who they are. There was one particular resident who told me how my music reminded her of the time she spent raising her children. She and her husband agreed that the playing of live music in their home would never be discouraged regardless of the circumstance. They saw it as a creative outlet and as a way of instilling an appreciation of music in their children. Although the woman was hard of hearing, through music I could relate to her on a personal level as we talked about the therapeutic effects and personal growth music can bring about.
My time at the nursing home gave me the opportunity to delve into the artistic side of being a physician. As I shared the therapeutic effects of music with my community, this experience showed me that being a physician is also about understanding the human condition and recognizing each person beyond his or her imperfections. It allowed me to relate to many different people on an individual level. While I perform many classic numbers, I share the emotions from my own original compositions, many of which prompt people to think about how their experiences have helped shape who they are. There was one particular resident who told me how my music reminded her of the time she spent raising her children. She and her husband agreed that the playing of live music in their home would never be discouraged regardless of the circumstance. They saw it as a creative outlet and as a way of instilling an appreciation of music in their children. Although the woman was hard of hearing, through music I could relate to her on a personal level as we talked about the therapeutic effects and personal growth music can bring about.
Undergraduate Research Leader
As an undergraduate research leader (URL), I developed my public speaking ability as I talked to fellow undergraduates and incoming college students about how to get involved in and make the most of undergraduate research. My activities as a URL consisted of engaging students during tabling events and advising them during panel discussions. While helping people through steps I had gone through, I got the opportunity to interact with several students at both the high school and university level. Furthermore, as a URLs, we played a key role in the annual spring undergraduate research symposium by reviewing abstracts. I also used this as an honors experiential learning project.
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