Ive always been a very goal oriented person and while many people in my

position an undergrad in a new place with many prerequisites and goals to meet
may lose sight of the true end goal of a well-rounded education, I found my
interests increasingly diversified during my undergraduate career. According to
my Honors 100 Learning Statement my freshman-self wanted to double major in
Economics and Biology, get involved with research, and volunteer at a hospital to
get exposure to the field of medicine but that was about the extent of my goals. I
guess I still havent kicked the habit of being goal-oriented as I did all of those
things, with a slight asterisk beside the biology degree; I decided on
Biochemistry. Despite sticking with my original plan to some extent, many of the
experiences that define my undergraduate years are due to deviations from that
plan. I was coerced into taking my first Honors prefix class by some of my friends
on Lander 8 and its because of that class that I took up the hobby of
photography, bought my first DSLR, and eventually became a photographer for
the UW Daily; something I never would have imagined. During sophomore year I
decided to pursue a Certificate in International Economics after taking an
interdisciplinary economics class on the European Union. It was also around that
same time that I realized I actually enjoyed organic chemistry and chose to
change my major from biology to biochemistry. I found myself letting go of many
of the rigid, decisive, and restricting plans that I chose for myself as a freshman
and choosing paths that suited my interests.
Travelling to Italy with the Honors Study Abroad Program was hands-down
the best decision Ive made in choosing coursework at UW. The best way to find
yourself is often, paradoxically, by getting lost. I thought this line summed up my
experiences aboard quite well but immediately after I smugly typed those words
I looked up at my groups monitor in Odegaard and saw that same quote (more
or less) in another students learning statement. I guess Ill have to elaborate a
bit more As soon as I landed in Italy I was lost. If this was a reflective writing
piece written by my freshman self Id probably include some self-serving
statement like and I mean lost in the best way possible; however, I was
legitimately lost. I knew no Italian, couldnt even find the building that the UW
Rome Center was in, and never stopped exploring the city during my month in
Rome despite my lack of Italian knowhow. Theres something about traveling to
other cultures much different from ones own that causes intensive, unintentional
reflection, and as a result I grew a lot during my time abroad. In addition to my
personal growth my academics did benefit from my time abroad as well. I had
the opportunity to see first-hand the austerity measures in Italy, which, as an
international economics student, I found extremely interesting; it was beneficial
for me to see first-hand in the real World what I was studying. My time abroad
also benefitted my photography. Being in such historical cities that are far and
away different from my everyday culture and environment prompted me to carry
my camera everywhere. I found myself viewing all the nuances of Italian, Turkish,
Czechoslovakian, and Austrian culture with a more practiced eye and often
thought of buildings, people, and landscapes in terms of what would make the
most well composed photo. As a result my passion for photography grew (I took
more pictures in one month than I had in the previous two years).
My decision to take a gap year between my undergrad and medical school
was largely due to the personal growth I had abroad. Id been rushing through
my undergrad, always looking forward and rarely stopping to enjoy the journey. I

realized that most of my positive experiences came from the unexpected detours
I had taken and the unforeseen opportunities that those paths led to; I now plan
on slowing down and enjoying my journey.