Personal Narrative: Joining The CTMS Science Team

‘A life full of mistakes is better than none’ George Bernard Shaw had once said. Looking back, I found that it is the truth. Yet I want to prove that is wrong and that trying to join the Science Olympiad team was not a mistake. I love Science, it fascinates me and I yearn to improve in Science and make it my strength instead of my average subject. My ambition is to become a Neurologist

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 became the subject that I couldn’t wait to learn, and I often find myself getting excited over new discoveries in chemistry, such as the four new elements added to the periodic table that I texted multiple friends about. Since I want to be a teacher, I find the best way for me to combine teaching and chemistry is to help those in the school who need help learning the subject. My friend is a sophomore who currently takes level one chemistry, and for her, I serve as the person she can go to when she needs help with the subject, and I’m happy to help her whenever she needs

My team and I was starting to play the game and we were up to bat first. I was the sixth in line to bat so it felt like forever for me to bat and once you're up there and the ball is coming at you, you just want to run away from the ball. When I hit the ball I ran as fast as i could and i could feel the wind carry me to first base. Then it was our turn to field and once you're out there you can just feel the tasteless dirt in your mouth. When you make a good play it makes you feel all good inside.

As I step out onto the field I smack in the face the aroma of the freshly cut grass. I get the sense of being home after a long trip away. It’s great to be home where I know I have fans that will cheer us on. The grounds crew is out working on the field to get it ready for the game later tonight.

“What do you mean you’re not going to take science next year,” Mr.Turek sounded stunned. “You have to take a science next year.” “Physics isn’t my thing.” I confessed, “and I’ve taken all the others.” “Well,” He spoke obviously, “You could take AP Chemistry.” He read the indecision on my face. AP Chemistry was rumored to be intolerable, only the best of the best could tread in that class. “You can do it” he added

When first joining the Physiology Club our faculty advisor, Dr. Wehrwein, and club coordinator, James Poteracki, were both teaching my physiology lab course. Over that semester I volunteered at several elementary science events with the Club and observed small adjustments that could improve student safety and learning. Both Dr. Wehrwein and James were open to discuss my ideas and observations, and soon we were all sharing ideas about advancing the overall direction of elementary science education in the Lansing area. In one aspect, they remained my teachers in the lab, but I became a team member with equal ideas while discussing the Physiology Club. Spring semester, discussion moved to action when I was the first student given the responsibility

2 weeks after our initial preferences were submitted, I was connected with a few members of the TMT group. Speaking with the analysts over the phone, I really enjoyed the conversations and began to believe TMT would be a great fit. Due to my late contact with the team, I did not receive an interview with TMT. After attending all of my meetings on placement day, I met Julia Druckman and Nash Abu-Zahra and discussed the possibility of me joining the TMT group. They suggested I talk to HR. After our talk, I went downstairs and spoke with a few members of HR. They suggested I rank the groups I interviewed with but add in this comment section where I would rank TMT.

I worked side by side with Kristina, the office supervisor, and we really accomplished a lot today. She was so behind on her work that she asked me to work with one of the providers one on one. I really think she was evaluating my work ethics. She said I had been an asset to her and later I was called into the office and was offered a job. Of course I was excited and accepted the position as a MA-II in the King and Pilot offices. After I pass the CMA exam I will then transition into the CMA position along with a raise. I cannot wait to get started and learn as much as I

For this project I think Merry and I worked extremely well together, and were very collaborative. We were both a part of every step of the process, from booking equipment, to filming to editing. We tried to be good at communicating with one another as things came up, as well stay in touch about our progress. Overall, I think we worked very well as a team, and I look forward to working with Merry in the future.

As a matter of fact, I have always love the topic of science, however, I didn’t watch the shows that taught science for young children because, my parents thought a talking dog and his friends solving mysteries was the best choice for me. I don’t regret that decision at all. Science in general for me has been easy due to me having a great memory, for instance, during tests, I am able to picture the book, which helps me get the right answer. The involvement with Advance Placement Chemistry has taught me many key life lessons. These include; study, study, and more study, you cannot study enough for any subject. The art of being prepared, procrastination will hurt you in

My first team project was not a very good experience. Out of the six total students assigned to the group, we only ended up with four. One of the team members only participated the minimal amount that was required and another one did none of the work, she just agreed to whatever was posted. The lack of participation made the project stressful and a lot of work. I believe that communication is one of my stronger strategies. Even though my first project turned out well, because of that experience I typically don’t like online projects. I prefer a team project that does require you to meet in person some of the time. I think when you must face the person it makes it harder for you to slack.

Landing a spot on the C-team of my school’s Science Olympiad team my freshman year resulted in a lot of jeers from my peers. Unlike others who were disappointed not to be on a better team, I was humbled by the opportunity the spot provided for me. Although I was the “new kid” in this community of motivated and intelligent individuals, I felt right at home. I understood my role was to learn skills from the experienced members which would prepare me for future success. I saw it as a valuable learning experience and was rewarded for my efforts with a 2nd place medal, the only medalling event on the C-team.

On March 1, 2016, my fellow peers and I took a school fieldtrip to the Carnegie Science Center. Fortunately, it was Sci Tech Days that day. Being this day, we were able to explore the different floors and visit the many exhibitor tables. Also, we divided into small groups for us to visit a workshop, but everyone combined again to see another workshop. For most of the day, I stayed in a small group of three other people who are my close friends

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.