Lily Gruss
My parents are both professors. Though they constantly jokingly tell me how I should never pursue a career in higher education, their professions have served me extremely well in several ways; one of the most significant among them is the importance of interest in the world surrounding me. Growing up and watching their constant pursuit of new knowledge solidified to me that I would attend college. A liberal arts education in particular was alluring, as it provides a space for the exploration of different fields. As I do just this at UMW, one aspect of my method of thinking becomes clear: my brain was wired to fix existing problems.
As much as I lust after a life as some kind of eccentric artist pursuing only their own whims and compositions as esoteric as possible, my ability to create outside of already existing contexts and problems is virtually nonexistent. Though I only realized it recently, this quality is plainly evident in the subjects and hobbies that I choose to partake in. Throughout my schooling, the humanities–subjects that generally require thoughtful interpretations and lack a concrete answer–have been of little interest to me. As such, math and sciences have been my strongest subjects. This quality is also evident in my leisure activities. I play guitar and sing, but any attempts to write my own music at all have begun and ended laughably. I thrive when working towards an answer far more than I do in open-ended situations. This quality could be attributed to many things, but I believe the most conceivable explanation is that I find it difficult to judge my own efforts if what I’m doing has no correct or incorrect answer attached to it. Last semester, I was tasked with reading a book and writing a review of it, an assignment that, clearly, had no “right answer.” Though I hated that book and had a myriad of reasons for it, it was a difficult assignment for me solely because I had to express an opinion rather than a finding.
This propensity for rigidly scientific problem-solving was reflected in my interviewee, Jessica Kamel. The two of us found that we shared an interest in the sciences for the reason that an answer is attainable in the majority of cases. Jessica intends to pursue a career as a doctor, an aspiration that she’s had since she lived with her aunt and uncle at a young age, both of them doctors. This is where the two of us differ. Although I know where my strengths lie, I have yet to find a career path that fits my aspirations exactly. I find this quality of Jessica admirable; despite my problem-solving tendencies, I am not decisive. As I progress further into my academic career, I believe the right niche for me will reveal itself. I find the marriage of math and science in chemistry alluring, and as I am exposed to more and more of it, I believe it can become a passion of mine.
Thank you for reading 🙂