student interview
june 2015
BY irene koo
Featuring... Annette (Annie) Chang
22
1. Please give a brief intro about yourself
I'm currently a sophomore at Woodbridge. I enjoy the gamut of academics, from writing, reading, math, and science. I also enjoy playing the violin, and currently perform with school, local, and state orchestras. In my free ime, I like indulging in delicious foods, sleeping after a hard week at school, and traveling with my family.
2. What experiences have you had in the science field?
After OCSEF last year, I sought out mentorship at UC Irvine and over the summer worked on a project with my friend. We learned advanced laboratory procedures like qPCR, tested a novel instrument developed by the university, and used a software called ELCOM-CAEDYM to model aspects of our project.
2.5. What science activities do you do in school?
I've been a member of Woodbridge's Science Olympiad team for two years now. My events have primarily been biology-related (Cell Biology, Anatomy, and Designer Genes). This year I also participated in Woodbridge's first ever Chem-Oly team and hope to do so next year as well. Next year, I look forward to taking AP Physics.
3. How do you think actively working on science-related projects have benefitted you?
I've learned how to write a scientific paper and developed software skills. I've also made many friends through our shared interest in science, and established connections with professionals in the field. Working on research projects improved my public speaking skills through communication with experts about the results of the project.
4. I heard about your really cool "Girls Who Code" club; can you tell us a little bit more on that?(;
In public school with large classes, it's often difficult to have a small, close network of friends in an academic setting, so to create that community of individuals who shared a common interest, I started Girls Who Code (GWC) this year. Right now, our club is taught by Ms. Hermans, has about 15-20 members, and consists of mainly freshmen and sophomores. In the beginning of the school year, we started with basic programming in Python and Scratch. We moved on to learning the tenets of computer science (i.e., conditionals, loops, variables) through project-based activities. In the next few years, I hope that our club members further develop their interest in computer science and by the time that they take AP Computer Science, have mastered basic Python and Java to succeed in the course, and by the time they enter college, are way ahead of their peers. To get more information about joining GWC, email me [email protected].
5. What are your future aspirations?
Looking to the future, I'm thinking of a career in STEM. Possible majors I am currently considering include chemistry, biomedical engineering, and computer science. In 10 years, I see myself becoming a medical researcher or working on getting my PhD.
6. What's your advice on being more involved in science?
Start early! I'd recommend trying a science fair project in a field or subject that really intrigues you. Also, start to decide what sort of career you'd like to go into in the future by considering your passions and favorite classes. Finally, learn a programming language like Python to get exposed to computer science.