Tip:
Highlight text to annotate it
X
The University of Tennessee Knoxville - it's so much more than a home away from home. It's a place I love.
It's a place I love. A place that's given me an opportunity to reach and exceed my goals and dreams.
My name is Jean Hamaguchi, and I am a recipient of the Andy Holt Scholarship.
The Andy Holt Scholarship has given me the chance to excel, both in and out of the classroom at UT.
I wanted to take a few minutes to share my story with you. This is a day in the life of an Andy Holt Scholar.
Hi, my name is Jean Hamaguchi, and I'm from Milan, Tennessee. I'm a senior at UT.
I'm majoring in Biochemistry.
Being a recipient of the Andy Holt Scholarship, I've had a lot more time to get involved in extracurricular activities and be involved with undergraduate research on campus.
As a recipient I've had more time to concentrate on my studies and have been able to spend more time at the library instead of worrying about finding a job thoughout the semester.
Choosing my major was actually more difficult than I thought. UT has so much to offer, and during my freshman year when I started taking some biology courses and talking to an advisor in the Arts & Sciences Department, I decided on Biochemistry.
I'm so glad that I did. My Biochemistry 401 course has been great.
Well this is the lab that I come to every day for a couple of hours. It's Professor Sundar's lab.
And, what I'm in charge of is checking on the mice which are downstairs. I'm in charge of updating this book.
If we have a litter of pups born, I'm in charge of their weaning schedules.
What we're looking for is the progression of cancer in certain mutant mouse models, and what we do is we run them through a P.C.R. and extract a small amount of DNA from the mice.
The overall goal is to monitor cancer developement in these mutant mouse models.
After I go downstairs and do health inspections on the mice, if they do exert some symptoms we will bring them up here.
As a member of the Delta Zeta sorority on campus, I've served on the standards board for five semesters and was actally head of standards.
I came to this university, I knew probably four individuals, but after the first week of recruitment I knew 50, and from then, it's grown to hundreds of great women and I've been exposed to so much.
As a senior in high school I was thinking about colleges to attend, and it actually was a very easy choice for me. I only applied to one school and that was UT.
I had come to UT several times as a younger child. My sister came here the year UT (football) won the national championship. My uncle is also an alumni here.
And for both of them to find a home here, I knew that I could too.
I came here for the endless opportunities and I have yet to be let down.
My sophomore year I went out for an interview with the Student Alumni Associates and since then I have been able to participate in so many different opportunities.
With SAA, I've been able to interact with alumni and friends of the university face to face and have actually been able to thank them personally.
It's just amazing to see that they really want to know what I'm doing on campus.
Another great memory is being involved with the Alpha Epsilon Delta UT Pre-Health Honors Society and be able to get together medical school panels for our members to come and obtain great advice from deans of admissions at several schools and current
Once I graduate in May, I'll be preparing to take the medical college admissions test and applying for several medical schools throughout the nation.
Upon graduation of medical school, I'm unsure whether I want to be a general practitioner or if I would continue my education and specialize in possibly dermatology.
What I'll miss most about UT is the people. I've met so many friends. The faculty, staff, and my advisor have been a great help throughout my four years here.
To the Andy Holt family, thank you so much for this opportunity. You have made my dreams a reality.
Thank you again for giving me the opportunities to pursue my dreams.
I hope you've enjoyed this small glimpse into my life at UT Knoxville.
My story is just one example of how the Andy Holt Scholarship is impacting lives each day on our campus.
On behalf of the entire class of prestigious Andy Holt Scholars, thank you for all that you do for us and our university.
You are making a difference.