Kasarah Allen
Class of 2006
Frederick Douglas Academy
Topic: Familial Hypercholesterolemia and Homology Modeling
Presentation (ppt)
Research Paper (pdf)
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I am strong fan and a believer of mathematics. Until recently, my first and foremost passion was mathematics. While taking Advanced Placement Chemistry in my junior year at Frederick Douglass Academy, I grew a love for the science. I was already good at it but I never really had a strong interest in it until my chemistry teacher, Mr. Hearn, made it fun and exciting for me. He showed me how wonderful the world of science can be and he opened my eyes to what can only be described as the world hidden behind the shadows. I never knew how much science impacts our lives or how relevant it is to our daily lives. I always thought of it as being in a laboratory but never thought that chemistry existed beyond that. I thank my chemistry and A.P. Chemistry teacher for exposing me to this wonderful world of science.
During my junior year, my A.P. Chemistry teacher mention to the class that if we had an interest in working in a lab, doing experiments, or getting a hands on experience with chemistry, that we could participate in a paid internship. Since several of my classmates have partaken in the internship the year before they gave me an idea of what it was like and suggested that I do it. In order to partake in the internship, my teacher said I had to write a personal essay, which I should have had already but I failed to do. He also said I should have my resume, which I had from my English class, and so that was as difficult as things got. A couple of weeks later, my teacher informed the class of Dr. Sat’s arrival to the school. I was a little nervous but I decided that if I didn’t get it I could always go to math camp, thus I went into the interview with an optimistic mind. I was myself during the whole interview. I felt that my answers could have been a lot better, and that I didn’t do such a good job. However, there was nothing else I could do because I gave it my all, and I was happy with that.
Several weeks later my mom gets a call that I got the job. My mom was so excited. I expressed no emotions except one of interest in what I was going to do. I was also surprised that I was chosen for the internship, especially after feeling that my interview could have been better. I was happy to just have a chance to be involved in the science community. I was told that I was going to be working for NASA, in New Jersey. First I wondered how I was going to get there and then I thought that it would be extraordinary to be working there. For my second interview I was again discouraged by the outcome. My prior results assured me however that things could have turned out otherwise. Notwithstanding the opportunity my mom didn’t want me attending the NASA internship in New Jersey. She felt the science was too hard for me and declined the job. Luckily Dr. Sat had another place for me that was closer. It was at the City College of New York where I took a Bioinformatics Workshop. The workshop taught me several things. I had classes in probability, statistics, Perl programming, molecular modeling, cloning, genomics, and molecular biology. We also had primary lectures from professors of vast fields (i.e., psychology, mathematics, science, the arts, etc.). I learned a number of things during my time at City College, although I probably won’t be using this newfound information in my future. Nonetheless it was a good learning experience and I appreciate each day spent with the program.
The Harlem Children Society has given me a wonderful opportunity to learn about the ways in which science can be used in our daily lives. And it has shown me some of the many careers available in the science and medical world. I’m not too interested in biology but it was a fun experience to learn about how there were so many experiments being prepared to advance the knowledge of the human body and for learning new ways to cure diseases in humans without testing on them. I would gladly recommend this program for anyone interested in learning how science and can be applied to life and for anyone who loves math and science. This program was a good eye opener and made my career decision more concrete.