I am a Biological Sciences major at the College of Charleston. I really enjoy it, but I haven’t gotten to do much biology even though I’m only a year away from completing my degree. So far, I’ve had general bio, ecology, and genetics. As a pre-med student, I am obviously more interested in health, anatomy, and physiology, so I’ll be squeezing in some courses on those topics before I graduate! I absolutely LOVE learning about almost everything (history is my only exception, and I like it when I’m not learning in a class). I guess that is a good thing because I’ll be in school for a while longer if all goes according to plan :)
Last semester, as my independent study for the Honors College, I began working in Dr. Eric McElroy’s lab. We research lizard morphology and locomotion. To do this, we catch or order in lizards and race them down a racetrack Eric made. We have two high speed cameras running, and I am in charge of collecting the force data for each run of each lizard. We also have a series of lasers that we will eventually use to determine the speed and acceleration of the lizards. I analyzed the forces on a computer program to determine how the lizard pushes off of the ground to propel itself forward. This summer, I am working on more force analysis, but I have also taken on clipping the videos and digitizing the lizards’ movements. I have even participated in some lizard catching on an abandoned island and around the CofC campus. I am enjoying my work so far, and I am looking forward to processing all of this data and finding out what it actually means for the bachelor’s essay I’ll be working on over the next year!
As I mentioned, I am a pre-med student. Hopefully, I will be taking my MCAT soon, after months of preparation. I’ll be applying to med-school next year to start the following year. Mikey and I are hoping I’ll be accepted into MUSC, but we’ll see what God has in store for us :) I am very interested in emergency medicine and in surgery. I also love working with kids. So I have a lot of different areas I am considering to potentially work in, such as an ER doctor, a trauma surgeon, or a pediatrician. And there are so many other fields that I am sure I will love when I am exposed to them! I just think medicine is such an amazing field, and it would be such a blessing to be in a position to really help and bless others! Eventually, I would like to go on MANY medical mission trips and to maybe open a free health clinic in a downtown area. Jesus says in Matthew that when the figurative sheep are separated from the goats it will be because of how they helped and blessed those truly in need. I think the greatest expression of God’s love and character is when we use the skills and passions God has given us to change people’s lives for the better! And for me, there is no better way to do that than through working to keep them safe and healthy!! Life is so precious, and I am so blessed to have some idea of what I absolutely feel called to do. I’m just working hard and trusting that God will bless my efforts and lead me down the road I am supposed to take!
