It's hard to believe…
It’s hard to believe that a semester has already blasted by. Just four months ago, a smooth transition into university seemed like an impossible challenge – the sheer volume of the student body, opportunities and course load makes it easy to lose yourself in the current. Luckily, discipline and a good sense of humor helped me find my way quickly and I’ve adjusted well into my role as a Mustang and Schulich Leader of Western University.
For one, a consistent work ethic has given me time to spare to commit myself to various extra-curricular activities. Being a Schulich Leader has helped me secure a research position early in my university career. As such, I am often found at Western’s Brain and Mind Institute where I assist Dr. Mel Goodale, an internationally-acclaimed neuroscientist and director of the institute. The current research that I am helping conduct revolves around using different size constancies to map brain pathways for processing visual information. Through the opportunity, I have learned to analyze the significance of specific brain waves using EEG and MATLAB.
Between the research, fencing practice, volunteering at the hospital and working as an executive of Western’s Undergraduate Chemistry Society, I have been kept happily busy this past term. I look forward to becoming involved in even more opportunities in the future, including at Dr. Raj Rajakumar’s lab, where I will be doing my summer internship assisting his research of underlying molecular mechanisms of neurological disorders.
If this past term has shown me anything, it is that university is not something to be frightened of – instead, it is a world of new opportunities, just waiting to be seized. These four months have been no less than unforgettable and knowing that this is but the beginning of an amazing four year journey as a Schulich Leader, I can’t wait to discover what lies in my future.