Why Oneonta
Honestly, I applied to SUNY Oneonta without visiting the campus first, and then I was accepted and received a scholarship. I came that February to visit the campus and fell in love with the landscape. I liked the hills, the small campus and how everything was accessible within a 10-minute walk. Oneonta also had my major, Biology.
Why Biology
In high school, I loved Biology classes, like Forensic Science and Crime Scenes, and I generally like learning about the body and how it works. I was always intrigued by science, and Biology is a field with many open positions. And I like the versatility of Biology. You can work with plants, animals and people, and many Biology-related jobs help people globally.
Favorite Classes
One of my favorite courses was Parasitology with Dr. Reyda. I loved it because, before the class, I hardly thought parasites had potential health benefits. We also went on a trip to College Camp and caught our fish. I went fishing for the first time and caught a fish, and then later, we went to the lab and dissected the fish. I was a little freaked out because my fish had a lot of parasites in their gut, but I enjoyed seeing an example of what Dr. Reyda taught us in class.
Another teacher I enjoyed taking classes with was Dr. Heilveil. I've taken Genetics and Stream Ecology with him. I like his teaching methods. He's involved with helping the students, and he wants to see the students succeed. He's always giving words of encouragement and how we should apply things we learn here to get a job after college.
Best Experiences
An experience that I enjoyed during my college career was joining a natural hair care club. One of my suitemates from last year started it up. We threw the first “Curl Con,” and even this year, the second one happened. I was glad to see that something that I helped start or pick back up is still going, and hopefully, it'll still be going after I graduate.
I joined OSES this year and wish I joined earlier. OSES is the Oneonta State Emergency Squad. It’s a group of student volunteers certified by New York as a basic life support emergency medical service agency. If we get a call that someone's injured or sick, we check them out. I enjoyed that because it gave me personal experience showing if this is the track for me, and I believe I'm on the right path.
Plans, Goals, Dreams
I’m looking to be a physician assistant after college. Right now, I'm looking for jobs that fulfill direct patient care. Hopefully, I can get my master’s degree and potentially go into women's health OBGYN field as well.
