Anna Pham
is a senior Cell Biology & Molecular Genetics major on Team Gene Therapy
researching low-density lipoprotein receptors in rabbits. After graduation,
Anna will be attending Maryland Medical School in Baltimore and hopes to specialize
in dermatology or urology/gynecology. Anna
is also an Asian-American studies minor, which has made her become interested
in women’s health and stigmas about sexuality with Asian-American women. For two summers, Anna interned at the
National Institute of Health. One summer
she worked in a neurobiology lab, and the other she worked on collagen
disorders using infrared spectroscopy.
Her work with collagen disorders led her to be published in the Journal
of Biological Chemistry. Additionally,
Anna has worked in an on-campus lab researching West Nile Virus for three years.
On top of
all her academic accomplishments, Anna’s love for both leadership and starting
new things has led her to be actively involved in community service and
outreach. In the University of Maryland
community, Anna is the Founding President of the Honors Student Programming
Council (Honors SPC). In this role, Anna helped establish new traditions such
as Honors Olympics and Spring Grill and Chill. Her work and dedication to
Honors SPC has allowed them to plan fun events to bring Honors students
together and prove themselves as a staple of the Maryland Honors
Community. In 2009, Anna founded the
non-profit organization Eyes Closed, Hearts Open, Inc (E.C.H.O.). The organization has two goals: 1) make art
and original productions and 2) use art as community service. Recently, E.C.H.O. brought an a cappella
group to a nursing home and held art workshops for children to encourage the
community to participate in the arts as a means of self-expression.
After all
of her academic and community service activities, Anna still finds some time to
enjoy napping, McDonald’s, and event planning. Her favorite guilty pleasures
are watching BravoTV, the E! Network, as well as Timeflies on Youtube. Finally, you may be able to spot her breaking
it down at Cornerstone on the weekend. Anna Pham is a natural born leader who
uses her academic and organizational talents to better the world in any way she
can. She is the penultimate example of
the caliber of students that Gemstone students are and strive to be.
-Maureen Bowers: Team ONLINE: Class of 2013
Matthew Carr:
When
deciding which Honors program to choose at the University of Maryland, one of
the most common concerns that students have about choosing Gemstone is the
workload involved. However, junior Neurobiology and Psychology double major
Matthew Carr is a prime example of a student who knows how to balance social
life and academics, as well as being on a Gemstone team. As president of Lambda
Chi Alpha, a social fraternity at the University of Maryland, Matt has
certainly succeeded in being a leader in Greek life as well as being in the
Gemstone program.
Serving
as president of a large social organization isn’t as easy as it seems. Besides
running chapter and executive committee meetings, Matt is responsible for
taking care of unexpected duties or resolving any issues that may occur in
addition to attending social events and having fun. So the question is, how do
you balance your time between having a social life, being involved in Gemstone,
AND tackling a full course load? As a student at Maryland, you’ll learn to
discover what activities you’re really passionate about. “Greek life is one of those activities where you get out what you put
in. If you don’t have the time to dedicate to it, you don’t really have to.
This definitely helps with prioritizing.” In addition to being involved in
Greek life and Gemstone, Matt also serves as a research assistant at the Center
for Addictions, Personality, and Emotion Research as well as a member of the
Greek honor society, Order of Omega.
After
graduation, Matt hopes to attend medical school. However, his Gemstone team,
team POLITIC, is comparing how the reception of Russian literature in the US
correlates with US foreign policy towards Russia from 1890s to 1920s. This
specific project most interested Matt because of the fact that it is completely
different from his majors. “College is
probably the last time I’ll be able to research something just because I find
the subject intriguing. Gemstone students shouldn’t be afraid of branching away
from their majors in their projects.” Even within the Gemstone program, you
can be involved with interests that are outside of your major.
Regardless
of what you’re involved with on campus, there is definitely a way to
incorporate all of your extracurricular activities with your academics. “It’s definitely not too much to be in
Gemstone and be involved as a leader on campus. Gaining leadership is a great
experience, and definitely makes your four years of college more enjoyable.”
-Jessica Lee: Team RITALIN: Class of 2014
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