Here is the link to my vlog!
https://drive.google.com/file/d/104A3rwNyCYguutyysL7GpoZ18x-ghFSt/view?usp=sharing
Hey everyone! I’m Iftekhar Samir from Purdue Biochem I (aka the best session in all of SSP!!!!). I hope
you liked my video, these few weeks have probably been the best weeks of my life. From lectures at 8
AM to labs that sometimes force us to come back after dinner, I will miss it all.
I think what makes SSP so special is the people. Sure the wet labs and the experience with new
techniques we wouldn’t learn just by being in regular high school is impressive, but the people is what
makes SSP unique. From the supportive TAs to the amazing professors and of course, our site director
Ms. Rochon has made SSP feel like a second home. I’ve met so many people here who I wished I could
just bring back to New York with me. I hope I don’t lose connections with them because they’re the
coolest people I’ve ever met and I love spending time with them.
At home I’m kind of shy but I think if you asked anyone here they’d disagree with you. At the beginning
of the program they told us we’d grow from SSP and that’s the real success. Being here made me realize
they were right; I have the most energy when I’m talking with people. When I go back to school I hope
I’ll be the same energetic person I was here, someone who wasn’t afraid of talking first. Anyways, apart
from the corny stuff I can’t emphasize how much I love it here.
My amazing teammates Ulee and Atchaya make sure that I’m never left to drown. They are amazing
people to work with, they’re funny, and they’re kind. We promised each other to stay in touch (they
better)! Although we call each other rats, I can trust them with anything and they already know more
about me than some of my friends back at home do. Big thanks to them for being so supportive and
friendly. They helped me through a really rough time and they’ll always be people I can turn to.
My roommate Rohan is always someone who’s fun to talk with. He always has new stories and I’m so
glad he’s a night owl like me. Thankfully he doesn’t get annoyed with me and it’s funny that we both
never wake up even though both of our alarms go off every five minutes. We’re both on the same
schedule all the time and we even get up at the same time. Thanks for being the best roommate I could
have had!!!!
Thanks to Peyton and Jazzy who were my first friends here. Peyton is one of the coolest people I have
ever met, he knows every language and he could teach a person born in China to speak proper chinese.
Jazzy is one of the funniest people I’ve ever met, he’s just naturally so funny (that’s why half the videos
are him). I’m also so glad he’s always so optimistic and I’m glad I was able to meet someone so
energetic. Peyton is so supportive and he’s super wise. He’s all-knowing and I could trust him with
anything.
Thanks to Amit and Nassar who are always talkative and never make a day dull. Amit always knows
everything and I love talking to him and learning about his stories. Nassar is super supportive and always
has the positive energy we need. Shoutout to Torin as well for being super energetic and being the most
chill person I have ever met here. He’s super charismatic and I am glad to have met him.
Thanks to Katherine and Pragathi for always being in the basement because they always make the
basement feel like a group hangout. They’re always trying to make sure we have fun (even though every
game involves some sort of slapping!?). Also thanks to Siya for being super funny without even trying,
and also for being my maggi dealer.
Thanks to Ms. Best Dressed Elizabeth for being really sweet and being someone who tries to involve
everyone. That was the first time anyone has put makeup on me and you killed it and it was really funny.
Thanks for being super cool. Thank you to Eve for being super friendly all the time and being someone
who was willing to teach me Vietnamese. You’re very energetic and it’s a nice presence to have in the
lab.
Thanks to Ryan Z and Paul for being nice every time I see them in the halls or talk to them. They both
have funny jokes to make and they got contagious laughs and so they’re super chill. Thanks to the twins,
Andrew and Kaden, because talking to them never feels boring. You’re an awesome badminton teacher
btw Kaden!!!!
Thanks to Leyu for helping run the account with me and also for being loud and energetic down in the
basement. Thanks to Julia for making fun of Jazzy because it’s really funny and I’ll never forget hot
potato fresh tomato ever again. Thanks to Marcy for being the calming presence we need. You helped me
pick out those bracelet materials and that was really kind of you to do and you didn’t have to do it. So
thank you for that although I never ended up finishing that.
Thanks to Sophia for being super energetic and spilling tea. I still can’t believe you managed to hide in a
dryer!? Thanks to Xinyi for being really easy to talk to, that hike was really fun and it was interesting
hearing your views. And thanks to Avery for being super nice and fun to talk to at the dinner table. I will
watch the Good Place trust.
Thank you to Caroline for being super communicative all the time, it’s always easy to talk to you as well
because you never try to make anyone feel left out. You’re always engaging and it’s really funny that you
always have a relatable story to other people when they have one. Thanks to Grace for being super funny
and having the same humor as me. Also the most humble person I have ever heard of with amazing piano
skills!
Thanks to Ricky for being someone I can talk to and have deep conversations with. I know you might not
think your English is that good, but it’s amazing that I can talk to you on such a meaningful level and
you’re always able to help me. And of course, thanks to Ryan T for being super funny. You were the
person I sat with on the bus and your sense of humor is amazing. You’re also so smart and your questions
make me feel so dumb in class. Love y’all for it tho!
Thanks to Arnav for being super funny and trying to make games fun. Also thanks for trying to teach me
ping pong that one day even though I failed pretty badly. Thanks to Eric, the hardest working person here
that’s always in the computer lab, for always saying hi and making sure to greet anyone he sees. Thanks
to Samuel for being loud and energetic when needed. He’s always down for everything.
Thank you to Sophie L for being someone nice to talk to at the dinner table. I still think it’s super cool
you lived in Germany for a while and it’s really interesting to hear your stories. Day 1 Dinner table fr.
Thanks to Sophie D for making the game room fun whenever we played video games together. Thanks to
Lauren for always being nice and probably the nicest person here. The wholesome component to
paranoia!!!
Thank you to Miranda for being my Fujianese teacher and also for being hardworking and always helping
us when needed. You guys are the second best Claviceps Purpurea group but it’s okay!!! Thank you to
Diya for being someone who’s always starting up conversations at dinner. You’re a really fun person and
it was really fun when we talked for that day where we both volunteered.
There are certain other people from the other programs I’d love to thank as well but I’m already running
low on space. But you know who you guys are and thanks for making my summer so special. I love all of
these people so much and I’m not ready to leave yet. I know that everyone here will be super successful
and I am excited to see where we all go. I’ll miss you guys and a lot of you know more about me than
some of my closest friends back home though. I hope we’ll see each other again. Don’t cry because it
ended, smile because it happened.
Bye everyone!
- Iftekhar Samir, Purdue Biochem I
