Spring Reflection

This Spring Quarter was challenging, but rewarding. I think I grew in a lot of areas and had some moments of conclusion that were satisfying. For this reflection, I'm going to do a style that my friends and I often like to do when we're out to dinner: rose, bud, thorn (however, I'm going to switch the order so I end with the good stuff).

Thorn

Academically, I remained challenged, especially by chemistry. Although I expected Chemistry 239 to be slightly easier than Chemistry 238 (as I'd heard), I ended up getting the exact same grade I got in 238, and it seemed hairy for a second there. I'm honestly not sure why my grade was lower than expected, because I did feel like the class itself wasn't as challenging as 238. Maybe I was more distracted, or other students were simply better at it then me. It's a good reminder to not get complacent and to stay focused in classes that I know are hard, like chemistry. Chemistry lab was also a challenge, though not nearly as miserable as lecture. I was more familiar with organic chemistry labs, which helped a lot, and I was thankfully once again blessed with a good TA (shoutout Jason), which made a massive difference. Chemistry 242 is unique in that it has the "Unknowns Lab," a 4 week-long lab where everyone gets 3 different mystery compounds that you have to identify. It's a lot of moving parts and information, and it's a lot higher stakes than some of the previous labs. However, it wasn't quite as difficult as it seems, and with teamwork and helpful guidance from my TA, I was able to get through it. I ended up doing pretty well in this class, which I'm super happy about. I'm proud of the progress I've made in chemistry labs since the start of my freshman year, and I'm also very happy that they're now over.

Bud

Towards the end of this quarter, I was presented with the opportunity to become involved at Hillel next year as a student leader. While I knew this would be an extra responsibility in my busy fall life, I accepted because I really enjoyed my time at Hillel this past year, and wanted to find a way to stay involved and help other people feel equally as welcome. This is a bud because it's something that's developing and that I'm beginning to work on as we get closer to fall, and I'm excited to see the impact I can have and what this opportunity will blossom (pun intended) into.

My other bud is that my role is developing and growing at work! I'm starting to transition out of the insectary and into doing lab work on a real project in the lab, which is super awesome. Although the insectary is cool, I'm much more interested in working on actual research, and it's cool to get to learn laboratory techniques like PCR and contribute to real data collection. I look forward to growing in this position and taking advantage of this great opportunity!

Rose

Academically, I had some success too! I did well in my chem lab, my honors class, and most excitingly, my biology class "Foundations of Physiology." This class was the first non-into bio class I've gotten to take, and I was nervous to see how challenging it was or if I'd enjoy it. I ended up really loving it, mainly due to the inclusive and fun culture cultivated by the professor (shoutout Andrea Durant), and got a 4.0! I'm super proud of myself, and it's once again nice to have that affirmational success in a bio class. I'm super excited for the future bio classes I'm going to take.

I also had some more time for social and non-school things this spring, and was able to enjoy the nice weather and spend time with my friends, which is always important. See the photos below!

Finally, I had my Bat Mitzvah that I worked towards all year. This was an amazing experience all around and I'm so happy I did it. Check out my post on it here!

Drumheller Fountain on a sunny spring day

Posing with the cherry blossoms

The Montlake Bridge on a sunny day at the Cut

Me and my friends at a Mariner's game (we lost, tragically)

Me and Arushi at Shabboat