My name is Alice Chen and I am currently a freshman studying biochemistry. Before entering university, my career choice was conducting lab work or lab research but now, I have been considering going pre-med to become a doctor. While researching Lehigh, I came across Professor Cheng’s lab and was very impressed with the work they have done. I even mentioned the lab as one of my interests in my Lehigh application supplements. I thought this project was a perfect way to gather experience and make an impact on the world, which is something I always dreamed of. Within the first few months at Lehigh, I heard about open spots on the team and immediately reached out to Professor Cheng about my interest in the project. We met over Zoom when I was informed further about the lab mission, objectives, and current progress. I was very fortunate and was let in into the team, where everyone greeted me with open arms. They were very accepting of freshmen to help carry on this project and since then, I have been very motivated to help out on the team.

During one of our meetings, Professor Cheng told us to check out the GSIF program as our project was part of it. I looked into the program and was very interested as it was an excellent opportunity to learn more about global issues. I believe impacting the world is something everyone wants to do but it may be difficult to find an opportunity to do so. I wanted to make a difference in the world, regardless of how big or small, especially since I was considering doing lab research as a job in the future. I was very fortunate to be accepted, and with our first seminar, I was super inspired. Hearing everyone’s dedication and motivation towards their project has made me want to do my very best. The sickle cell diagnostics project can make such a significant change in Sierra Leone that can spread globally. The team has gotten so far from where they originally were and I want to help continue optimizing the test strip. If I can see the test strip be used in Sierra Leone before I graduate, that would be a huge dream come true.

I believe this course will help me become a biochemistry student because this class teaches a lot of life skills, rather than specific topic knowledge. It will teach me how to overcome obstacles and problems in our workforce, which is a very critical skill to know. It teaches us that failure is okay and it is the best way to learn and improve from. A bonus is there are no repercussions for failing and making mistakes, which is something that is very difficult to come across nowadays. Frequently, in a school environment, failure comes in the form of bad grades which can help a huge impact on someone’s motivation and mental health. However, I believe I don’t really have to worry about that in this class.

Regarding the proposed problem, I would suggest sending students who aspire to become optometrists from around the world to developing countries. Not only would they get hands-on experience, similar to a residency, they would also help the problem in these countries. This can happen through a summer program, an internship, etc. It would also probably be ideal to send licensed specialists to help watch over these students to ensure they are doing the right thing and can be corrected on any mistakes. The students can help educate and diagnose patients on how to properly take care of their eyes. Another possible solution is having people with eyeglasses donate their old glasses so the old ones can be remade into new ones. I have seen these donations occur at many eyewear places and it is a very environmentally and financially friendly idea, which were mentioned as some big factors to consider for a project in the YouTube video we watched. This would lower the cost of helping out the people in need, especially considering these countries have high poverty levels. I believe that fundraisers can be created where donations can be made to help solve this problem in these low-income countries. Non-profit organizations that are interested in this problem can also help make a change in these countries. Overall, I believe with the right amount of motivation and dedication, this is a problem that can definitely be tackled and overcome.