Jason Fong
PreMedA Reflection
5/10/16
The University of Massachusetts Boston is a diverse collection of students from across the world. It is also a commuter school, with many individuals coming to school, living from miles away. It is a challenge to bring all these students together in unison, from different backgrounds, different academic goals, and different daily schedules. However, it is very well possible to do so and the Pre-Med A Science Gateway Seminar, led by Dean Andrew Grosovsky, does just that. It has been a central structure behind my first-year, college immersion and will continue to be the base of my relations as I progress further in my academic career. Throughout high school, I was encouraged to work on my own tasks and let others fail; that is was a waste of my own personal time to help others. I rebutted that teaching. I knew that a society could not function on a high moral platform with selfishness and retribution. Although independent work and effort is key to success, so is collaboration and ethics. To live following that belief, I have dedicated my effort and time to the success of the community and the future of its members that will play vital roles in society.
Firstly, Pre-Med A has been vital to my growing interest in the medical sciences. Through student driven research projects and presentations, I expose myself to new and interesting topics of medical sciences and pursue a greater understanding of topics that I have never learned of before. The project based curriculum focuses on communication and collaboration and emphasizes the need to produce presentations and research projects of high quality, meeting high expectations. Pre-Med A’s academic structure has strengthened my research and analytical skills and has shaped my leadership to be stronger and sharper than before. From emerging viruses and personalized medicine to stem cells and environmental toxicology, I have learned to sample new topics in the field of science and experience things out of a typical classroom environment. Particularly from the stem cell research project, I have gained great interest in this topic and wish to continue learning about its application and mechanism further in my academic and perhaps professional career. Not only does this interest stem from the research I have done as an individual, but also from the research that others have done and presented. It is clear that we have the potential to teach each other new things and bring out the best out of each other. We build these experiences together allowing us to further discuss and express our interests and build it further.
Secondly, the Pre-Med A Seminar establishes a close community bringing intellectuals from diverse backgrounds into one group motivated by similar academic needs. As we progress in higher academics, we thrive upon each other’s success and work together in order to bring out the best learners and leaders from within one another. Seeing us study together, eat together, learn together, and cooperate on a daily basis truly represents what UMass Boston can be. It is a form of higher education that brings every individual up for success and encourages mutual learning. The people I work with now, are going to be the same people who I learn with, and live with as I continue my college journey, and the seminar brings me to a level where I am capable of working with new, various people in any setting in order to achieve my goals and realize the goals of others.
Many individuals would not be involved on campus, but rather just take their classes, go to work or go home. Building strong relationship not only in school, but in society is very important for success. Pre-Med A’s community brings forth emerging leaders and helps motivate our drives to build the community together and help each other achieve our goals. It is vital that we help each other succeed rather than see some fail. This ensures a higher rate of success and gets people where they need to be. The Glasgow Caledonian University and UMass Boston Exchange helped further build our community by cooperating with other seminars including that of Pre-Med B and Biochemistry A in order to host students from Glasgow. Not only was it a thrilling event being with student from Glasgow, but also because it was an opportunity to reach out to other communities and strengthen our relationships with them. On the final night of the exchange during our farewell dinner, there was a lunar eclipse. For us, this symbolized how special and significant this exchange was to us, and how different people from various cultures can come together with a common interest and academic standard, and reflect on each other to build greater understanding of each other, themselves and their interests.
These two aspects of the Pre-Med A community create a learning environment that is driven by the academic interests of its students rather than a learning requirement set forth by school standards. Knowledge that is gained through personal involvement has stronger meaning and influence on an individual’s way of thinking. I not only work with my peers, my close friends, on projects in this seminar, but also study together for other classes, get involved on campus, and build on experiences we share with each other. Pre-Med A sets the foundation for us to succeed and plays a central role for first-year students. One example of the success of the community would be when my friends and I whom I had built my relationship within the community, would stay on campus, in a conference room, until 11pm in order to study for our chemistry exam the next day. This enhances our learning collectively and allows us to work together to solve problems and excel in our school work.
As a member of the event leadership team of UMass Boston’s first annual Relay for Life, and as the President of Alpha Lambda Delta National Honors Society 2016 Chapter, I understand the importance of community in an educational setting as well as in society overall. It plays a vital role in bringing people together and inducing growth and progress in the world. On the UMass Boston campus, it is very difficult to reach out to the majority of the student body, but is it somewhat easier to gather smaller groups of people who share common interests and have the time for these events and meetings. Through the building of these small communities, it is possible to create unique experiences and relationships among others. Perhaps one day, these groups can come together as well and truly represent UMass Boston as a whole, such as when we came together during the GCU-UMB exchange program. As a premedical student, it is very important to maintain a high academic performance while pursuing my interests and working with others to obtain our goals. I would like to thank Pre-Med A for providing an opportunity to build this close community on campus together and for allowing me to immerse myself in learning, leadership, and building stronger mutual relationships with my peers. In the past year I have grown both academically and characteristically in terms of leadership and teamwork. I will bring the energy from Pre-Med A as I move on towards being a volunteer Ambassador for Dana Farber Cancer Research Institute, as a research assistant for Supporting Early Educators in Suddenly Inclusive Classroom Settings, the president of ALD honor society, and towards the rest of my academic and professional career as I go further into the medical field. I look forward to building even stronger relationship with my peers as well as those I meet on my journey. “It does not matter how slowly you go as long as you do not stop.”- Confucius