3D cellular model

Here's the 3D model of "the cell" that I made for a bio project! I used clay to mold the organelles and a gluey-gel suspension solution as the cytoplasm. Left of it is a more in-depth drawing of the phospholipid bilayer and cell transport.

Totoro

Pictured above is "Totoro" - my beastly f150 super crew that I cruise around in. I named it after the Japanese anime film's character Totoro b/c both of them are big, cute and lovable. :)

Homecoming

This year I was selected as Senior Homecoming Queen. It was great getting picked to represent my school and attend the spirit days (such as "career day" where I dressed up as a cop). For the assembly, I got an entourage together and chose a "cute nerds" theme - my friends and I dressed up as stereotypical nerds and danced to "Conjunction Junction" with vocab posters, rulers, calculators and suspenders.

Favorite Movies and Artists

Being Tough

In my free time, I like being gnarly. But really, I've been fortunate to be blessed with such a high tolerance to pain. On the left is a picture of the first time I donated blood. Ever since I started in 11th grade, I've been donating ever several months and feel really lucky to 1) have good blood pressure and 2) be able to help out others in a medical field.

In addition, I possess some basic medical emergency skills. On the right is a picture of my injured foot, which I sustained from a car hitting me. Yeah, try to be nice to pedestrians cause I know what it feels like! Anyways, I successfully cleaned my own wound and used a staple gun to patch it up, after seeing my dad (who used to work in an ER at Kaiser) use it on someone. Pretty freaky incident & bad memory, but a good story to tell :)

"Pain is temporary. Pride is forever."

AP Physics Fieldtrip

We visited Pasadena, CA for a day:

• Caltech - plasma lab and checked out campus
• Huntington Library - botanical gardens and science museums
• Art Center College of Design - student artwork & tech gadgets
  

Trebuchets

For my AP Physics class, we got to use our knowledge of physics to build our own trebuchets, in which we competed against other groups on the last day of class. My trebuchet came in 2nd at 130 feet. It was awesome!

Hobbies & Interests

• Playing Piano
• Geocaching - first cache at "Orpheus Park"
  
• Charity work - Animals and Mental Health (depression and schizophrenia)
  
• Watching House MD
• Cooking - pastries to pasta to panini!
  

The Important Book

One thing from middle school I am most fond of is "The Important Book." I don't remember making it or getting the idea to make it so colorful, but I do vividly recall the joy I felt in finishing an accomplished project. This was one of the first times I learned the value of hard work and pride.

Wild Animal Park

For AP Biology, my class went to the San Diego Zoo where we explored the exhibits and the Cres Center. In the Molecular Diagnostics laboratory, we learned about PCR and did a small lab on it using micropipettes.

Some Quotations I Love

"Grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, the courage to change the things that I can, and the wisdom to know the difference." - Niebuhr

"I would rather be ashes than dust! I would rather that my spark should burn out in a brilliant blaze than it should be stifled by dry rot. I would rather be a superb meteor, every atom of me in magnificent glow, than a sleepy and permanent planet. The function of man is to live, not to exist. I shall not waste my days trying to prolong them. I shall use my time." - Jack London

"Nothing gold can stay." - Robert Frost (1923)

"Train yourself to let go of everything you fear to lose." - Yoda

Track and Field

I've been running/jumping on the Varsity Track and Field for three years now. I compete in high jump, long jump and hurdles. I hope to continue this sport in college, but intramurally.

Analytical Essay

Mechanisms of Destruction and Advancement

Written for AP Language (11th grade)

It is impossible to avoid technology these days and everyday people use it for a multitude of purposes. Whether it is cell phones, televisions, or even kitchen appliances like microwaves, technological machines have been stitched into our lives, influencing our behavior and our relationships in both helpful and detrimental ways. In The Grapes of Wrath, Steinbeck crafts a novel about farmers, their dream of California and the various struggles that plague their journey. The book revolves around the westward migration of the farmers during the Dust Bowl in which the farmers were forced to seek out a safe haven. Throughout the book, the author describes the double nature of machines. Steinbeck contrasts the nature of the farmers against the mechanical, destructive nature of the tractors in order to convey the negative effects of machinery on humans. In addition, he highlights the benefits of machinery by portraying the machines as emotional extensions of humans, as demonstrated through Al and the family car.

Rhetorical Essay

The Only Certainty Is Uncertainty

Written for AP Language (11th grade)

Scientists are an unusual bunch of people. A person can find them scurrying around labs in white, stark coats or burrowed underneath a pile of dusty books. These peculiar specimens are a rare sighting, often avoiding the spotlight of social attention and rather immersing themselves in atomic theories or cellular structures. Although they lack the charisma of social butterflies, scientists possess an even greater gift that’s acquired from their tedious work – the gift of knowledge. By overcoming the fear that uncertainty encompasses, scientists are able to trudge through the hazy, ambiguous forest of facts and fiction in order to extract ideas to establish ground-breaking theories. In The Great Influenza, John Barry perceives scientific research as a product of patient, cumulative work that’s acquired through the embracing of doubt and enigmatic issues through his use of various rhetorical elements. He also characterizes scientists as persisting, unyielding people who use their courage to help them explore unknown territory.