The various individual components of my life define me as a whole, unique human being much as puzzle pieces interlock to create a complete work of art. I am a band geek, an athlete, a scholar, and a Friend. I march in the Blue Band, have won gold at high school state gymnastics meets, was named valedictorian of a class of 663, and cherish the silence of Quakerism. However, while all these things describe me, they do not define me, or explain my goals in life. What does define me is this: I am a puzzle solver.
My penchant for solving scientific problems stems from my love of jigsaw puzzles. From start to finish, sometimes working hours at a time, the methodical thought pattern the puzzles require stimulates my brain, and carries over to other areas of my life. In my science and math classes, I tackle the problems presented to me in the same, calculated way I solve puzzles. When writing a speech I piece together the many components in a logical, informative order. And coming up with a plan to occupy a class of third graders who had been rained out of field day also challenged my problem solving skills. I took the parts I had: leftover balloons, hyper kids, and a Magic School Bus movie on friction and combined them to form a fun, hair-raising lesson.
In the future I hope to apply knowledge from solving the puzzles I have encountered both in and out of school to global problems like cancer and arthritis. I am a biochemist. I solve problems by learning what causes them so that I can determine what needs to be fixed. This involves putting together pieces from numerous research articles and colleagues ideas. A picture is formed, a solution to a problem. And then I conduct and present research myself to glue the picture together so that others can see the results, just as I glue the finished puzzles together to hang on my wall. And eventually when enough of the little problems have been solved they can become pieces themselves which can be put together to solve the wider problems. Eventually the whole room will be decorated, and maybe cancer will no longer be a threat.
In this portfolio I have integrated several documents which elaborate on me, my personality, values, and beliefs. It is very difficult to sum up an entire being in just a few words, yet hopefully you will be able to see the inner workings of both my heart and brain.
