“The future belongs to those who learn more skills and combine them in creative ways.”
Robert Greene
Research
Getting a firsthand experience in research, I enrolled in a capstone class in the field of Life Sciences during high school. I worked with a partner where it was the first time, I had ever used bacteria, specifically Lactobacillus acidophilus. The most important component of the project was ensuring that the bacteria grew by keeping it in certain conditions without compromising contamination. As I was plating the bacteria, I immediately encountered multiple problems, even though I had followed the exact procedures. It wasn’t until I communicated with my mentors that I needed to use critical thinking in a laboratory setting. Through utilizing different sources to obtain Lactobacillus acidophilus to changing my approach to plating the bacteria, did I notice how quick procedures and other aspects of my project changed from the original plan. After months of altering variables and getting results, I was able to present my final project, and I beamed with pride in my work and dedication to the scientific process.
In conjunction with my capstone class, I had also enrolled in my first chemistry class. There was a unit dedicated to acids and bases where I first learned about titrations to determine the amount of an unknown substance in a solution. While my instructor was explaining to the class about the topic during lecture, I could not conceptualize why adding different solutions would give me a color change. It seemed like every new aspect of chemistry that I learned wasn’t processed because I could not understand what was happening. It wasn’t until the instructor first demonstrated the lab and explained what was occurring at each step that I could apply my knowledge from lecture about indicators and acid-base reactions to practice. From then on, I continued to utilize lab as an opportunity to put concept to practice where I grew my love of Chemistry, having that “a-ha” moment every time I completed a lab. My first experiences being in a lab at my current university became a full circle moment as my current research is based on utilizing a microgel with antimicrobial activity coupled with various chelating agents against a biological specimen. Working under my PI and graduate students, I was exposed to new instruments and techniques that benefited my project, as well as learning how to overcome obstacles through reading articles and using critical thinking. My experiences in chemistry and biology became the very reason why I am currently studying Biochemistry. As I continue to learn more about the field of chemistry, I am often amazed to hear about the multitude of branches that can be pursued. Researchers with different backgrounds around the world continue to encounter problems and test new questions that need to be solved.
Leadership
“I have no idea, but I will learn” was the thought I had when learning about running for an executive position in the Residents’ Interhall Congress. In my freshman year, my roommate came back from a Lead Hogs meeting which she was heavily involved in. She talked to me about the different leadership organizations on-campus that were tied to University Housing, one being RIC. Although I had never served as a representative for the organization, I was adamant about learning by reading resources from their website, reaching out to executive members in my hall, and attending their office hours to ask more questions. I set appointments with the Career and Development center to practice a mock interview, and I felt prepared. As I was sitting outside of my official interview room, I felt a wave of relief wash over me as I realized all the effort, I had taken to be a part of this organization was about to be tested.
During the interview, I was being asked questions that I was familiar with, and I was answering them left and right. After I left, I thought to myself that I hoped they would see me as a valuable member of the team and serve as the National Communications Coordinator (NCC). Being the National Communications Coordinator means serving as the liaison between the University of Arkansas with our regional and national affiliates. As some time passed, I learned that I was offered the position, and I was shocked that they entrusted me with carrying out a role as an executive member, even though I had not been involved in the organization prior to that. It was at that moment that I strived to grow the position and serve as an example to people who have not been involved in a leadership role that if you are dedicated and willing to learn, you can be a valuable team player. While it sounded like my fairytale was coming to its happy ending, I started to encounter some dilemmas.
Per instruction from the constitution, outgoing executive members were supposed to help incoming executive members transition into their newly appointed role. I learned later on that I was not given the proper transition report from the previous executive member in my position. I had also grown to learn about our organization not being as present in our regional and national affiliates’ as it should actively be. The biggest task NCCs have is to create bids, which are nominations for people and organizations on campus to be considered for awards. For the past few years, there have not been any submissions from our university. While I had these setbacks, it was my goal to re-establish our institution as being a legitimate institution and serve my organization well. I started with attending regional and NCC meetings as if it was mandatory. I communicated with my advisors and executive team to let them know what was happening in the region. Once a week, RIC has House meetings where we vote on bills and give executive reports to update the representatives on what we have been up to. I also wanted to let representatives in our House meeting know what I have been doing and being open to communication. I was also able to fulfill my role which had not been done in a while from previous NCCs of submitting two bills in the Fall 2022 conference. That set me up for success where I led delegates at my first ever conference, which was virtual. Although it was a novel position I had served in, being eager to learn and utilizing my resources helped me become the leader that I want to represent.
Teamwork
The amount of work you put in is the outcome you get back. In the African Students Organization, I serve as the Content Creator developing posts for our social media accounts and flyers for people to see as well as submit awards for the different programs we held. While I only create content, I have had the pleasure of being involved in all aspects of the organization by helping my other executive members. I work closely with the Webmaster who is responsible for posting the content, working the website, and creating captions for posts. I felt a sense of personal responsibility to ensure that not only was our organization a legitimate one at the University of Arkansas but also recognize African culture from the students who share that. My parents were both born and raised in Arkansas, but I lived all my life in America. Because I was not well-versed of the experience of African students, I utilized the experiences and advice of my executive team who were all born and raised in an African country to develop informational posts. While I served my role to contribute to the organization, I was also able to work with my executive team to get help with some of the responsibilities my role entails. While getting help with some of my weekly content was helpful, the most notable instance of teamwork came from preparing for the African Gala Night.
The African Gala Night is the biggest event of the semester for our organizations. I was placed to head the food committee and publicity committee. In those roles, I helped to get a list of ingredients and a menu for the food that will be served during the time of the event. Being on the publicity committee was essentially the role of the Content Creator centered toward the gala. I helped make posts and flyers to be publicized for students and non-students to see. While each executive member was a part of their committee, we eventually had an all-hands-on deck mentality. It took extensive meetings, long nights of preparation, traveling to different places, and cooking before eventually finishing the night.
While my role consisted of only doing content, it was a great experience of helping others and getting help. Everyone has days where they may experience questions or encounter unexpected situations, so serving in a leadership position also entails helping others in times of need. I can say that I can not only be relied on, but I can also rely on them when I need help. That can look like asking upper executive members questions or ideas about potential future projects. Teamwork is an expected skill to have because there could be a time where a person experiences hardship or would like to collaborate on things where they rely on another person.
