As a Miami student, I work hard, and I play hard, and I think a lot of my friends here are the same way. We want to be successful after graduation—I'm thinking of becoming a doctor or a wildlife scientist—so we recognize that we have to study hard to reach our goals. By the same token, we also like to have fun, whether that's going to a club on the weekends, taking off on a camping trip, or heading to Panama City, Florida, for spring break on the beach.

I've changed my major three times. While a senior in high school, I auditioned on piano and was accepted into Miami's music education program. But then I took a human anatomy class, and it was the coolest thing ever, so I thought, "Hmm, maybe I'll be a doctor." So as a freshman, I decided to major in zoology instead of music education. Later that year, I switched to microbiology. Now I learn about bacteria, viruses, human immunology, and diseases. Miami is a university that's strong in many subjects, so if you change your mind, you can find a program that's equally good.

I completed a 10-week medical internship this summer at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital. I shadowed a cardiologist, watching him interact with patients, and attended meetings with him. In addition, I performed research on the safety and efficacy of a sedative used at the hospital. I did all the number crunching, the literature review, and wrote a scientific article based on the research. It was accepted in the Journal of the American Society of Echocardiography, so now I'm a published researcher, which is pretty cool.