About Me

To begin, I am a Wisconsinite … yes, I like cheese.  My awesome parents are also “foreigners”: my mom immigrated to the US from Germany, and my dad is a California boy.  I think we have gypsy blood, because we love to explore new places and experience new cultures; this is partially what drew me to the University of Houston. I am also a girl who is motivated by curiosity and wants to make a positive impact on this world.  These innate impetuses are what drive me to pursue a major in biochemistry with an emphasis on green energy and environmental sciences/protection.  Many of my casual hobbies stem from my love of being creative and active, including: piano performance, drawing and painting, windsurfing, snowboarding, and environmental conscientiousness. Oh, and one other immensely important detail I cannot fail to mention is that I was known for my laugh in high school.  I love to laugh. 

Campus and Community Involvement

I love to get involved, and throughout high school I was part of countless extracurricular events and in a handful of clubs.  I always liked to stick to my passions when involving myself.  I have played classical piano for 13 years now, so aside from private lessons and exams I would often perform at local events.  I also love visual art and this helped me get involved in many decorating-committees for prom and spirit days. My passion to make a difference drove me to become a committee member for the 2012 River Falls Relay for Life event and the leader of the RFHS National Honor Society Relay for Life team.  I was also President of Global Awareness and Change, which was a school club dedicated to raising awareness in our community about global issues.  I am now beginning to develop my presence at the University of Houston.  I am a writing tutor for the Human Situation Course at the Honors College; I worked for the recruitment office to recruit students from my home-town high school over winter break; I volunteered for the Mars Rover Celebration on campus to excite blossoming kid-scientists, and I am also now working with a campus band called Chasing Lights and plan to perform with them at the Spring Coffee House. 

Awards and Honors

I graduated high school as valedictorian and proudly became a National Merit Finalist and a National Merit Corporate Scholar as well as a Wisconsin Academic Scholar.  During high school I also participated in the London College of Music Examinations for piano performance and music theory and received two Distinction Awards and one Merit Award.  I was elected as the 2010 HOBY Ambassador for my school and my freshman year I received an award for Most Valuable Player on my gymnastics team, but after that year I sadly had to quit gymnastics due to a series of broken bones.  Now I am excited to begin my educational career at the University of Houston as part of the class of 2016 and was accepted into the Honors College.  I received the Tier One Scholarship, the National Merit Scholarship (accompanied by a Honeywell Finalist scholarship), and the Academic Excellence Scholarship.I was also placed on the Dean's List at the Honors College for Academic Achievement during the Fall 2012 Semester.

Study Abroad

Since my mom immigrated to the United States from Germany, I have been brought up in a household teeming with German culture.  I visit my family and friends in Germany for one month every summer, and speak fluent German because of all this.  I may use this knowledge to minor in German, but I would also love to learn French; I find French to be such a beautiful language.  I am in love with Europe and would thoroughly enjoy studying abroad anywhere in Western Europe.  However, my passion for exploration and my desire to conduct research make me excited and willing to travel anywhere in the world. Who knows where I’ll end up … !

Research

Ever since I discovered how good the research program at the University of Houston is, I have been looking forward to getting involved! I am interested in any research that touches on  biochemical behavior, environmental science, and even medical research.  Whatever it is, I can’t wait!

Future Endeavors

I do not have my future entirely mapped out; because I know life in college will take me down a windy path and may lead me in a direction that is completely different from what I envision now.  With this flexible outlook, I plan to pursue a Masters degree or PhD in Biochemistry with an emphasis on environmental protection.  I will grab any opportunity that comes my way to discover more about the fields of scientific discovery.  I can’t wait to find out where life takes me!