I'm going to be a sophomore at UT this fall. I'm originally from Round Rock, TX and graduated from Round Rock High School. I am a biochemistry major looking to go to grad school and I'm captain for the women's B ultimate frisbee team. I also enjoy playing the saxophone and guitar and hanging out with friends in my spare time. I'm looking forward to sharing my college with you and am here to answer any questions you may have!

Hometown

Round Rock, TX

Major(s)

Biochemistry

Minor(s)

Stats and data science

Clubs, organizations & involvement

I played ultimate frisbee on the Texas B team last year (which I'm now captaining!). I also am a member of Healing with Harmonies, which is a music club that doubles as a community service club! I'm also a member of ASBMB, a club that talks all about biochem and research. I also worked as a herbarium assistant last spring, and am currently working in a faculty lab studying non-B DNA structures and their affect on cancer. I'm also in the FRI, part of the Glow Worms lab (now mentoring for it).

Describe your college experience

I come from a big city (basically Austin), so it was pretty easy to transition for me. However, transitioning to the dorm life away from home was challenging. However, I learned that time management is the best way to be successful. Once I made a routine, everything became much easier. I was definitely scared about making friends, but I promise you, friends are made unexpectedly and even if you only make a few friends, that's fine. Everyone wants to make friends in college and it's super easy to talk to people.

Tip for future students

Honestly, I thought the traditions and community at UT would be scary to get involved in; however, that is not the case. It's super easy to get involved with people and traditions at UT without feeling forced into it. You're able to choose how deeply you want to be involved at your own pace. Also, time management is everything. It's not true that you have all-nighters all the time (I haven't had one yet); it's just all about managing your time. There is lots of freedom at UT, and if you use it wisely, you'll be able to manage just fine while succeeding in all your classes.

Favorite class

My favorite class so far was my genetics 1 (315H) class that I took last fall. I also enjoyed ochem 1 (320M), which might be a controversial opinion but I thought it was fun! Both classes showed me that college classes can be challenging, but working hard outside of class, paying attention in class, and doing the homework can be very rewarding. I also loved learning about all the concepts in both classes. I also love my FRI lab and my faculty lab, even though it doesn't count as a class (although the FRI lab does!). The community is awesome and I've learned lots of valuable skills.

Career goals

I hope to get into a PhD program for something similar to pharmaceutical science. I then want to go into the biotech​/​pharma industry and become a lead scientist working towards making better drugs to help with diabetes, women's health, or cancer.

Ideal way to spend a free night

I have lots of ideal ways to spend a free night. One would be to hang out with my two best friends, grab a bite to eat, and then just sit and chill on campus. I also love going to ultimate frisbee practice and just running some scrimmages with those friends. I'm also always down for a night of just sitting and watching football​/​TV shows on my laptop.

High school or secondary school

I went to Round Rock High School in Round Rock TX. I've also taken a few classes through ACC.