Reflective essay Summer Bridge 2012

The Rise program for me has been an excellent opportunity to start out a new chapter as a university student. There is much I learned in the summer, I met new people, I managed to prepare myself for the new life that I would start as a university student, and I was even able to share some of my own knowledge and experience with my new companions and friends. I have much to be thankful for thanks to this program.

In the summer of 2012 I took the course of General Biology (BIOL 3009). This course gave me the opportunity to get a head-start in science classes, get experience in a lab, and what I see is very important: meet new people. I had been a homeschooler my entire life, so the thought and experience of spending 24/7 with other people was completely new to me. Fortunately, I was able to manage, and I learned much, as well as having fun with my classmates at the same time. Now, some of the people I met in the RISE Bridge program are some of my closest friends.

As part of the RISE summer program, we had the opportunity of going on two different trips: one to el Bosque Seco de Guánica, and another to el Yunque. For these trips I was able to use my knowledge as a Boy Scout, to inform my classmates how they should prepare for these separate areas and what equipment would be necessary to have a good and safe experience at these completely separate forests. A few weeks later, the different lab groups presented about our experiences and new knowledge about the forests. This presentation can be found in the following link: http://portfoliogustavomartinez.wordpress.com/presentations/.

Another important part of the summer Bridge was the proposal. In this experience, each student had to research a topic of choice, write a research proposal, and present it to the professors of RISE. My research topic was “Body Weight Effects of the Helicobacter pylori Elimination from the Human Stomach”. This was a perfect opportunity for me to practice many things such as researching scientific literature, using the scientific method, and presenting to a public and a group of judges. The presentation and the written proposal can be found in the following links: http://portfoliogustavomartinez.wordpress.com/presentations/ , for the power-point presentation, and http://portfoliogustavomartinez.wordpress.com/research-experiences/ for the written proposal.

At the end of the summer, I went through a complete change in my life. I gained new knowledge and experience, just as much as in the lab, the classroom, and meeting new people. These experiences and memories are significant for me and I wish to retain them as a very important chapter in the story of my life. This program has prepared me well for the future as a university student and a scientist.