🐦 Winging It with GAJ 🌱 - Who Am I ??? 🤔 Part 1
Posted on: 12/19/2025
Being labeled as a know-it-all and banned from answering questions by my math and science teachers made me a leader figure among my 30-student, gifted-program Chicago Public middle school classroom 🤓. To pass the time, I would sneak into different table groups to see if anyone needed help with the problem on the board. In high school, I enjoyed my classes much more once I was able to opt into a higher-level science course and a double-period Calculus course. It was a no-brainer for me when the opportunity presented itself to minor in Biostatistics while majoring in Biology at Loyola University Chicago 🎓.
The reason I love my science and math classes so much is not that they came naturally to me (because they did not 🥲). I love them because I appreciate how logical and intuitive they are, also allowing creative freedom through their promotion of curiosity and solution-oriented goals. If I were struggling with a topic, it gave me comfort knowing that once I recognized the foundational patterns and trends, I could apply them to harder and more complex concepts 👷🏼.
It was not until my senior year of university that I found the niche I knew I could dedicate the rest of my life to. Infectious Diseases in Wildlife, taught by my supportive mentor, Dr. Molly Staley, ignited my interest in disease ecology 🤩. I love how it highlights the interconnectedness between animals, humans, microorganisms, and our environment. Living in a city has sometimes made me forget about the biodiversity that surrounds me. This class enlightened me about the effects of urbanization, climate change, and extinction on disease transmission and spillover. I became fascinated by the One-Health approach and how I could make a difference not only for our society, but also for the wildlife and environment that we take for granted 🌎.
Pursuing a PhD would enable me to become an infectious disease modeler who can assess spillover/pandemic risk, raise awareness of ecological issues, and address health disparities that affect families like mine.
Next week: Who am I??? 🧐 part 2
Let's dive into some of my pivotal experiences to see how they have shaped my perspective and led me to where I am today!