Hobbies and interests
Art
Reading
Women's Fiction
Literary Fiction
Art
I read books multiple times per month
Helen Chen
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FinalistHelen Chen
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FinalistBio
Hi! My name is Helen Chen, a senior at Hamilton High School with a passion for pursuing a career as a medical lab researcher. I believe that there's boundless potential within every individual. Therefore, My goal is to provide more effective and affordable cures for people in underdeveloped regions and make a meaningful impact on disadvantaged communities.
I am very open to exploring different things like science bowl, chess, and German culture. But I discovered my true passion from my experience in the Women in STEM club. In the club, I not only was able to meet and build connections with the club members, the experiences of workshops and meetings also made me realize my dream in creating educational opportunities for other people interested in the STEM field.
I indulge in language learning as a personal hobby. As a person who has a non English native language, achieving proficiency in English has given me the feel of accomplishment more than any other academic subjects. Stemming from this, I gained a passion for language learning, leading me to study German and dabble in Japanese. This hobby not only enriches my personal life in a fun way, but also helps me with my career as I can build better connections with patients from different backgrounds.
As I embark on the next chapter of my life, I am excited to pursue my dream of becoming a lab researcher, fueled by the belief that everyone deserves access to an affordable healthcare. With gratitude for the support from donors, I look forward to utilizing my skills and passions to contribute meaningfully to our community.
Education
University of Arizona
Bachelor's degree programMajors:
- Physiology, Pathology and Related Sciences
GPA:
4
Hamilton High School
High SchoolGPA:
3.6
Miscellaneous
Desired degree level:
Bachelor's degree program
Graduate schools of interest:
Transfer schools of interest:
Majors of interest:
- Physiology, Pathology and Related Sciences
- Pharmacy, Pharmaceutical Sciences, and Administration
Career
Dream career field:
Medicine
Dream career goals:
Research
Future Interests
Volunteering
Philanthropy
Redefining Victory Scholarship
Success for me, as a person aspiring to pursue a career path in medical research, is multifaceted. It encompasses not only personal achievements but also societal contribution, personal fulfillment and community well being. While the journey towards becoming a researcher involves a lot of academic dedication and achievement, true success, in my opinion, lies in the ability to use my knowledge and skills to help others reach their own potential and improve their well-being.
Success, especially in medicine, in my view goes far beyond academic achievements. It involves developing empathy, compassion, and the ability to connect with other people on a human level. This aspect of success can only be cultivated through practical experiences and engagement in community service activities, which I will practice in medical school. Learning how to provide compassionate care that addresses their physical, emotional, and psychological needs is more important than anything to me. Although I don't have the professional ability to provide medical care at this point of my live, I have already been actively volunteering in various events when my community needs me. From earth day cleaning to competition staffing, I have done almost all I can do to make contributions to the community. The true measure of success lies in the impact I can make in the lives of others is what I realized during those volunteering events as I gained an unbelievable amount of joy and fulfillment after those volunteering activities. Thus, when I become a medicine provider, I want to create valuable, meaningful, and positive impacts on people in our society by discovering more efficient ways to provide emotional and medical support to patients and their families.
Although succession goes far beyond academic achievements, I see that academic knowledge is very needed in order to become a reliable doctor that develops efficient medical treatment. To do this, I will develop professionality by excelling in my studies while in school, staying updated on the latest advancements in medical research and technology by self teaching programming languages such as Java and python, and continue to help people through volunteering events in college. Challenges and obstacles will definitely be a part of my medical journey, but I will overcome all of them as I embrace a growth mindset and continuously seek out opportunities for self-improvement. No matter what happens, I will persistently strive to become the best possible version of myself as a healthcare provider and researcher.
By embracing empathy, compassion, and a commitment to lifelong learning, I can aspire to become not only a successful researcher but also a compassionate advocate for positive change in the world. And as a future medical researcher, I am so passionate about exploring new frontiers in biomedical science and contributing to the development of novel treatments and therapies. This scholarship will not only foster my intellectual curiosity and nurturing my passion for discovery by affording me the opportunity to complete my medical education and participate in research lab activities, it will also empower me to pursue these aspirations with more determination and purpose as it shows support towards my dreams and potential commitments. No matter if I end up receiving this scholarship or not, I want to say thank you for reading to this point, and thank you for the opportunity. I am deeply grateful for the opportunity to pursue my passions and fulfill my dreams, and I am committed to making the most of this opportunity to achieve true success in the service of others.
Marian Haley Memorial Scholarship
The pattern of education creating miracle-like chances can be seen everywhere, from history to daily life, from the countless revolutions promoted by the invention of the Gutenberg printer to my application to scholarship. In this society where opportunities are limited and very unequally distributed, education is like a game changer that allows people to create their very own opportunities and paths if there isn't one for them. And because I have experienced the feeling of being trapped in a Kafkaesque existence, I want to create paths for others who used to suffer like using the education I have.
I did not value education much when I first came to the United States as a first-generation immigrant. The chance to come to the U.S. is already unimaginable and the overall environment was overwhelmingly better than my childhood home, so even though my family is considered low-income, I've always felt comfortable living like this, as life here will always be better than in the 500 square feet complex back in Hong Kong, until I hear my father's deep sigh coming from his room. His gout has gone very bad and prevented him from even working as a waiter or cashier because he couldn't stand for a long period, as he was fired from his job as a salesman for the same reason. Although there are ways to control it, there's no way to permanently cure it. He could do nothing but to suffered back and forth from the pain of gout, and his grief of being "useless". And, in this very special moment, my mother decided to use all of the remaining savings to go to a local massage school. I thought it was stupid and had a large fight with her, but I was wrong, she suceeded and earns a much higher wage now as a full-time massager, solving the economic problem of the family. My dad, although he was still unable to walk, bought many recipes and books to read in his free time, became a full-time house-husband, and lived a much more fulfilling lifestyle after he accepted his new family role. I, under the influence of my parents, transformed from an English learning special ed student to a successful honors student who passed 5 APs in a single year. If my mom hadn't started her plan to receive a massage education, I would never have known that I had the potential to become an AP student or not even an honors student, and never would discover my interest in the medical field.
Education is a game changer, it is rather a blueprint of the gate key instead of the gateway to success, and many people, like the young ignorant me, don't even have the chance to see the gate itself. But similar to how my mom had positively influenced and convinced me and my dad, we can use our own education experience to help others see their gate. Because I'm so lucky and had the opportunity to see my gate, I set my ultimate life goal as to create cheaper medicine and lower access barriers to medical knowledge and awareness with thoughtful and educated research to help others reach their life goals by supporting them along their path to both the blueprint and the gate.