Chemistry: Personal Statement

Out of all of the skin care products in the world, your bathroom cabinet needs to be filled with products researched and designed by me. When I entered high school, I discovered my passion for selecting lip sticks, lip glosses, lotions, perfumes, and makeup foundations. You name it. After learning about the connections between the information in my chemistry class and these items, a light bulb went off! I maintained an A average in chemistry throughout the whole year! Additionally, in 2014, I became a student in the Academy of Engineering and Technology, which also heightened my interests in chemistry. In a science fair at that academy, there was a chemistry course where we made colorful slime, and during that process, I learned that I get an adrenaline rush when I am mixing different chemicals together to see what the outcome is. Majoring in chemistry at Norfolk State University will definitely prepare me for a very successful future in chemistry! My ultimate goal is to conduct research and development for chemical cosmetics. I plan to obtain employment at the greatest companies in the world such as L'Oréal and Avon.

Until about 2 years ago I was not quite sure what path I would choose for my future career, let alone what path I would choose when I arrived at college. I tended to be adept at subjects such as science and mathematics throughout my high school life, however I was never particularly fond of any one subject in particular. However, that changed my senior year of high school when I enrolled in AP Chemistry. I was intrigued by chemistry when I attended the pre-AP Chemistry course, however I was not particularly interested at that moment. However, AP Chemistry came with a plethora of hands-on experiments and procedures that existed to illustrate basic concepts of chemistry. Although it may sound mundane, I was amazed at some of the concepts we learned being implemented in front of our eyes, and I was especially

Chemistry captivated me as a college freshman by her promise of truth. Truth was a magical word, and was all the more alluring when associated with science, which to me back then meant the absolute. The process by which truth emerged from chemistry was so elegant: I loved to envision different molecules combining their molecular orbitals to form a product with the lowest energy level, and could not stop marveling at how concepts like energy, almost metaphysically abstract, manifested themselves so concretely in chemical reactions.

Prior to high school, my uncle was my chemistry teacher. As a food scientist, he was to me a great inventor who knew everything about the magic of taste, texture, and aroma; I still remember his lecture on “good” chocolate and how cocoa butter—solid at room temperature—melts readily in our mouths. Raised on an early appreciation for the power of applied science, I am now driven toward chemical science by a desire to uncover solutions to challenges in the modern world.

As I grew older, my love for the sciences grew. Since I enjoyed science, I took as many science courses in high school as possible to find the right concentration for me. Through the classes, I discovered that I enjoy biology and chemistry the best because I love learning about the principles of life. It is always exciting to learn about the ways of nature and all the complex processes in organisms that work together in harmony to create that single organism. Furthermore, the complex processes of life all have a chemistry background.

I plan to major in chemical engineering at UNR. Possessing a thirst for discovering how the world functions through the lense of science, I am interning with Dr. Casey in the Chemistry Department to experience chemistry firsthand. Alongside the heavy workload, I will balance volunteering with Dean’s Future Scholars at UNR, I’ve dedicated 200+ hours to the group and look forward to helping out the lives of low-income, first generation kids like myself. I’ll advance from college into the real world examining life at the atomic level while giving back to the

After taking AP Chemistry, I knew that I wanted to study chemistry in college. I also have been a very inquisitive person my whole life, wondering why things are and how things worked. My inquisitive nature and love of chemistry is why chemical engineering appeals to me. I am drawn to Biomedical engineering due to its application of both chemistry and biology to solve medical problems. Doing a complete 360, I am interested in art history, because not only do I find art fascinating, but I also find it mesmerizing how artists visually represent and were inspired by the world around them.

Thus, as a student of chemistry I sought some sort of out of the classroom experience to supplement my education. I sought out a place to enhance my knowledge in the application of chemistry. For the past year, I have had the opportunity to work in a research lab under the direction of Dr. Hannah Shafaat. As a member of the Shafaat research group I work with a metalloprotein called azurin that could serve as a potential protein scaffold for the construction of a functional nickel metalloenzyme for energy conversion reactions. As an undergraduate researcher, I have been able to apply the knowledge gained in the classroom to practical science. I believe that working in a research lab has enhanced my knowledge of the field. I can see behind the concepts that have been taught to me in class. Thus, by having the opportunity to participate in research I have a unique perspective on the subject and perhaps a deeper understanding of the concepts taught in

It all started when I was chosen to join an invention competition that was held in Indonesia. I had the opportunity to expose myself to the full range of the chemical and engineering courses, in which it helped to reinforce and solidify my intense interest in Chemistry. During the competition, I had to convince the

I’ve had the opportunity to view several research labs over the course of the UNMC High School Alliance school year, but so far visiting Dr. Conda Sheridan’s lab has been the most interesting so far. We got to see several of the projects that they were working on, and what was different from some of the other labs that we have visited is that you could actually see the changes happen in the solutions as the reactions took place. For example, Dr. Conda Sheridan showed us how he would isolate specific parts of a liquid compound he wanted by adding chloroform as a natural soluble. We were able to see as the liquids separated before he drained the unnecessary portions and then repeated the process. It was interesting to see some of the ways they

Attending GHP has been a dream of mine since 8th grade. The idea of spending a whole month on a college campus, expanding my knowledge is exhilarating. I have always found that I am immensely engaged in science. Being in AP Chemistry has broadened my horizons and interest in understanding why matter matters. I have fallen in love with the subject and I'm happy to know that balancing chemical equations and the laws of thermodynamics will stick with me for the rest of my life. I hope to expand my grasp on the subject while attending GHP.

Since I was a little girl I had a special interest on the world that surrounded me. In a way I was drawn into both literature and chemistry because they describe the world that I live in. And sometimes they can even overlap.

I graduated in applied chemistry science, which gave me a strong fundamental to my analytic skills and excellent overview of industrial business. The specific core courses throughout this program allowed me to explore not only scientific techniques, but also business management subjects, which have sparked my interest of marketing during my undergraduate time.

A research internship at Kansas University will give me the opportunity to study specific ways chemistry affects the human body. Whether studying simulations to increase the knowledge of biological processes or discovering the function of proteins of cancer cells, the results will promote manipulations of these methods to benefit the human body. The study of biological molecules is the foundation of all medicine. Biological

Learning Chemistry, Maths and Physics never got me tired. I’ve started to experience enthusiastic feelings towards those subjects during my high school as I was acknowledged to proceed with my upper school in science stream. I couldn’t agree more that being a science student is very challenging as it involves critical thinking which relates with the theories and practical. However, after a couple of months of learning, I came to realize that I have been intrigued by those subjects despite the challenging parts of understanding. Hence, I really look forward to further my studies in Chemical Engineering which involves deeper understanding of those subjects.