Today marks one week into my SSP experience here at Indiana University. It’s been crazy busy and crazy fun at the same time. When I first arrived on campus last Sunday, I was nervous about making friends and being away from home for so long, not to mention the actual research and academics. Luckily, this past week has eased a lot of those worries. The best part of SSP so far has been the group of people I’m surrounded by. Everyone is so smart, kind, and interesting. I have yet to have a dull conversation with anyone. Everyone came in with an open mind and positive attitude, and from the very first day it felt like we were all great friends. It’s weird to think we’ve only known each other for a week! Really important to me has been the complete lack of competition in this environment. Highschool can often feel like a rat race with the Ivy Leagues at the finish line, and it’s easy to get worn out and down on yourself. Here at SSP, there are no grades, so there’s not really any way to compare yourself to others. But more importantly, everyone is so supportive of each other, and you never feel bad asking for help from someone who understands something better than you do.
The research has also been incredibly exciting and interesting. This past week we inserted plasmids with our gene of interest into E. coli, which we grew into large-scale cultures, and induced protein expression in. Our next few days are very important, we’ll be isolating our protein to study its function in our specific fungal pathogen. A week ago, I didn’t know what half of those things even were, let alone the lab procedures to accomplish them. The sheer amount of material that we learn here is insane. I would be lying if I said it wasn’t stressful, but I was accepted to this program because someone believed I had the potential to thrive in this exact situation, so I’m doing my best to prove them right, even if it means staying up late to study biochemistry on a Friday night.
When we’re not busy in the lab or working on homework assignments, there’s a lot to do around campus. I’ve particularly enjoyed early morning runs and beach volleyball with friends. Being active is a great way to de-stress after a long day. Twice a week, we have organized activities. This week, we explored downtown Bloomington, went to a concert at the Jacob’s School of Music, went bowling, and had a movie night. I am a spectacularly bad bowler, but I had a great time being with all my friends.
This week has made me so excited for the rest of the summer. I already feel sad knowing that SSP will end eventually, even if it’s still many weeks away. I’m so incredibly grateful that I was admitted to this program, there’s no other way I would rather spend my summer!
Mia
Hello, my name is Mia, and I’m a rising high school senior. I enjoy science (obviously), art, tennis, and rock climbing. I’m excited for a great six weeks at SSP!
