As a freshman majoring in Physiology and Medicine, Sophia entered college with a strong interest in health but it wasn’t long before her curiosity took her beyond the traditional boundaries of science. Through her undergraduate research, she began to explore how cultural identity and social networks shape the ways people engage with their health. Her project focuses on the intersection of culture and behavior, asking how the communities we belong to and the values we inherit can influence the choices we make about our well-being.
What started as a research opportunity quickly became a transformative experience. For Sophia, it challenged the idea that research must always happen in a lab. While she was initially most familiar with wet lab science, her project showed her the dynamic, interdisciplinary nature of research how it can blend data with storytelling, health with humanity, and even science with the arts.
In the process of exploring cultural influences on health, Sophia also found herself reconnecting with her own heritage. This personal dimension led her to unexpected academic interests, including poetry an area she never imagined she’d be drawn to. Research, she discovered, wasn’t just about testing hypotheses it was about asking deeper questions, discovering connections, and engaging with the world in new ways.
Sophia’s experience is a reminder that research in college can be more than just a resume builder. It can be a journey of self-discovery, an invitation to explore the unfamiliar, embrace the interdisciplinary, and let curiosity lead the way.
