Spring 2024

Research Symposium, Big Kinspire event, a 'light' quarter of only 19 credits, getting back into sports, ending the year on a fun note

Artifacts

One big culmination of years of work was presenting in the Undergraduate Research Symposium. I had been working on this project since sophomore years, with many ups and downs in between. But working towards this symposium not only helped me learn how to create scientific posters and present research but also reflect on how the time I spent working in the Fuller Lab helped me to gain lab skills and practice persevering through rough times. I felt ownership over the project and was able to confidently explain my work to people who walked by. Thanks to my mentor Thomas Lewis for encouraging me throughout my time here!

I joined Kinspire in order to work on fundraising and educational efforts for children in India, but it was always one of those things that was relatively low on my priority list. However, throughout my junior year, I saw myself using some of the community-building focus and skills from other areas and applying them to the recruiting, fundraising, and giving advice to the freshmen in the club. Our big event was Mr. and Mrs. Desi, and while I knew that I hadn't done much work in the run-up to the event, I made sure to be the point person for a lot of the day-of logistics. I think the event went really well and it was a great way to feel connected to the South Asian groups on campus. The club went to have a team bonding around the Ave and a few of us went to see the Northern Lights as well - it made me excited to keep working with all these folks as I accepted an offer to be co-president for the next year!

Hanging out with friends is important. I guess it only took taking 20 credits a quarter for a year to realize that I needed to create time to do other things in my life that aren't school. This quarter, I made a conscious effort to join intramural leagues for both soccer and tennis, which helped me feel like an actual person again. I enjoyed winding down the year with some friends at Golden Gardens, a UW classic. Even though it was the middle of finals week, pushing myself to hang out was something I don't regret at all. It was amazing to hear what everyone was planning for over the summer and just chat about random stuff going on.