Keeping up with Dr Kauffman
My mentor interview didn’t really go as planned, there were a few complications in getting it done. The first day that we had planned on doing it he got sick and went home early and said we would do it the next day. He ended up not coming in that day either. I was getting a little worried that I wouldn’t complete the assignment so instead of hoping he would come I took initiative to get it done through an email. Overall the interview was still very informative and I still learned a lot about my mentor. Even though he was my mentor I worked more closely with some of the other lab members and I wanted to know his journey and get to know him a little better since I had learned so much about the people I was with all day. This interview made me realize how important science was to him and how important it is for me to make women less of a minority in science. “There are not enough women and minorities in science, and we
could use more great, creative minds to push forward our discoveries and scientific achievements in the field. If I can motivate more young people to get involved in science, then it will help science move forward successfully” This was really powerful because I know that it will take me a long time to get where I want to be in life but on my way there I can still do amazing things that remind me how much I love science and want to pursue a career there. He goes on to say “I have also mentored students in my lab, and they have gone on to be successful in their lives and that is rewarding for me too.” Which was something that I did see coming because of the way that he is in the lab and wants young people to start doing important things like this from a very young age. I didn’t think that my internship was really possible before I knew about it. I never thought that I would be in a lab for my internship working with people that taught me and helped me more than I did for them. I think that this is an experience that I will remember forever because of how much I learned and enjoyed what I did. Not only did I find out the things that are most important to him he also gave some advice to get through college. “Take college seriously. Study hard, go to class. But also have fun. Try to have a good balance of study and work/fun and playtime, which is important for good mental health.” I have always been able to do this but I know that in college it can be a little harder but finding things that make me happy and that are fun are going to have to be a priority not over school but still high on my list. Overall I do feel like I understand and know more about Dr Kauffman. This was very informative as to the different steps that I can take to get to the places that I want. I know that it will take a lot of hard work but that is something that I love to do. Even though I already have to prove myself as a women in science I know that I am going to have to work twice as hard as some of the people out there to get the things that I want in life. It's going to take a long time because it even took Dr Kauffman a while but once I get there it is going to feel amazing! “PHD program (5 years) + postdoc researcher (6 years) + really hard work in the lab + really good organization and planning + determination + good luck.....” With knowing what I know about this profession and what it takes it has definitely been added to my list of possible careers because of how interesting it is. I would love introduce my love of science to young women in the future to show them that they can do it too. Having this interview helped a lot in getting to know my mentor and why he decided to do certain things in his career. |