"Beginning of the End"

The semester is dwindling to an end and it seems like it was just yesterday that I had my first day of classes. Finals start next week and since it’s my last semester I will be graduating real soon! As excited as I am about graduating and going home and getting away from the Chicago winter; I am NOT looking forward to not returning to Chicago after winter break. I realize now that this place had molded me into a more perceptive, rational and determined person.

I still remember my first day at IIT – it was cold and raining and how I wanted to just go back home! It wasn’t too long after that made the perfect bunch of friends- I knew I had found my niche at IIT. We were all new at Chicago and experienced the city together, studied together and pretty much went to all the events together. Some of them graduated last summer and we unfortunately parted ways. The time has now come for me to say goodbye and I realize how they felt when they were leaving. I had no idea how attached I was to IIT till I bought a one-way ticket to home! Coming to IIT was one of the best choices I made – I am not only more knowledgeable but I am also more confident about myself. I always knew I wanted to help people in a medical perspective and coming to IIT has reinforced my commitment to give back to the community. I was always passionate about doing research but I didn’t think I could pursue both my passion and ambition at the same time until I came to IIT.

I am a Biochemistry major and the BCPS (Biological, Chemical and Physical Sciences) is actively involved in inter-disciplinary research to find less invasive and more precise chemotherapeutic agents or more effective chemopreventative agents, to understand protein structures using crystallography or the dynamics of cardiac muscle contraction using a house fly model or study of the immune system in a cellular level and many more. All these research projects have implications in healthcare and I think this suits my future goals perfectly.

My plan is to go home and do research for a few months and hopefully come back for graduate school. I am not ready to say goodbye yet and hope my plans work out!

Until then…take care!