I involved myself with theatre, speech and debate, student government, chorus, environmental club and our beloved AP Seminar/Research curriculum. During my second year, I had the amazing privilege of taking AP Psychology with Ms. Stori Richards, who introduced to me the study of the mind, a practice that filled me with a familiar sense of adventure. By the time I found myself in the seats you now find yourself in, I knew that I wanted my project to relate to psychology in some way, and with my growing involvement in the student government and environmental club, I sought to center my research around a school-wide policy implementation that would better Cary High's environment.
From these interests was born the Green Token, my first research project. By using a token economy as a behavioral modification regiment, I incentivized students to reduce littering across campus with rewards that I acquired from local businesses via mutually beneficial partnerships. The project was fulfilling both in a personal and intellectual sense, which I find is often the end result when pursuing research that fits into the greater story of what has formed your identity.
Today, I am finishing up my undergraduate career with a neuroscience fellowship at McGill University in Montreal, Quebec. My research interests focus on how the nerves in our body and brain sense and process physical or psychological pain. Similarly, my introduction to and continual participation in this field stems from facets of my identity and story, which is what makes the work feel so lovely and purposeful.
