August 29, 2013

Arena del Mar Morillo

From: Portland, by way of Paraguay
Exploring: Biology, pre-med

From: Portland, by way of Paraguay

Exploring: Biology, pre-med

Full immersion: College is a unique time when we can work hard, play hard, and explore all of our interests, whether or not we pursue them as a career. When I chose Lewis & Clark, that was my goal: to really immerse myself in it.

Making things happen: Being involved in ASLC was a great way to meet people in my first year. Now I’m on the Student Organizations Committee, which allocates funds to clubs. Students can propose any club, from cooking to politics, and we can make it happen.

Growth experience: I spent the summer after my first year interning at Oregon Health & Science University. Working in the Morgan Lab, I studied two genes associated with intrauterine growth restriction. It was my first experience working in science in the real world, and my work is going to be included in a published paper.

Holistic medicine: Science comes first for me, but at Lewis & Clark, I hang out with sociology majors and psychology majors and art majors. That improves my education. Medical schools realize that it’s not enough to be scientific and analytical—you need to be able to think critically and to relate to all kinds of people. They’re not necessarily looking for biology majors—they want well-rounded students, and a liberal arts background is great preparation.