This morning, I woke up a solid hour earlier than usual to the sound of my roommate’s excitement over her success in APs this year. Though of course this was cause for celebration, being woken up that early did make me more tired than usual. So, what other choice did I have but to get a cup of “straight juice” as some would call it (vanilla sweet cream nitro cold brew), at Starbucks.
Afterwards, we attended lecture for an hour before finalizing our procedures for our long day in the lab today. Though many long days spent in the lab, especially when our enzyme refused to give us a consistent concentration during a Bradford Assay, can be arduous, they can also be incredibly rewarding, like when our SDS-PAGE gel came out beautiful and clean or when we watched reaction plate wells slowly turn the most satisfying shade of blue during today’s specific activity assay.
But of course, SSP isn’t just about the science. I have fallen in love with not just the lab or all the things I’ve learned, but also nights spent watching fireflies light up in cascades during 10 P.M. walks or afternoons spent sweating in the surprisingly intense Indiana heat all because of a SSPokemon Go raid. And of course I have fallen in love with the people: the first few friends I had already made by the night of Arrival Day and all the other friends I have made since then, whether through being taught how to play pool in the basement, collaborating to truly put the ΔG‡ in goofy, or completing puzzles at midnight with the support of granola, Brownie Brittle, and tea. With only two weeks left in the program, I know that I’ll be cherishing every moment I have left with the amazing friends I’ve made this summer before we say our tearful goodbyes and enter the senior year purgatory.
In the moments left I have today, I’ll be going on yet another evening walk, or maybe playing cards in the basement to the tune of American Pie.
Hi! I’m Amy, a rising senior from Georgia. You can find me spending my spare time writing, playing the flute, or continuing to curate my countless Spotify playlists.
