It's Been Some Time...
See what I've been up to...
It's been almost a year since my last blog post, and I've changed a bit. I turned 16, started my junior year of high school, and this site even turned 4 years old. Usually, it's around this age that people are "supposed" to have their whole life figured out, and I think I know what I want to pursue in my life: medicine.
I've always been passionate about STEM subjects in school, and I've consistently excelled in biology. I have a few family members in medicine, and was given the great opportunity to shadow a neonatologist plus an anesthesiologist in my local hospital over my summer break. I've been a bit on the fence on what I want to do after high school, but shadowing definitely cemented it in my mind. I'll definitely be sure to write more posts about these experiences.
Since this experience, I've started to get into the "medtech" space and general entrepreneurship. I've been part of my high school's business club since freshman year, and I'm even an officer this year! Now, I've started to mix my newly discovered love of medicine, technology, and entrepreneurship. The United States's high nurse-student ratio and the decreasing number of nurses in general are both major problems that aren't utilizing the newer technology of artificial intelligence to the height it could be, so a friend and I are currently working on a platform for school nurses that allows them to use artificial intelligence and machine learning to make their work more efficient; however, I won't go into further details as I'm gatekeeping.
I've also started collaborating with a local university professor to get a head start in the wonderful world of research! Whenever shadowing in the NICU (Neonatal Intensive Care Unit), I noticed that, like a large chunk of the country, many mothers were either overweight or obese (as indicated by BMI). There was this particular case that stood out to me, of an obese mother and a child who were both genetically predisposed to tumors due to a mutation in a tumor-suppressor gene. I wanted to learn more about it, so I researched alternative ways to research this without using human subjects (obviously). I then learned about the quite amazing species of Drosophila melanogaster. These tiny creatures are quite amazing for genetic research due to their short lifespan, fast reproduction, and their genetic similarity to humans. 60% of Drosophila genes have homologs in humans, and 75% of disease-related genes have homologs in humans.
I thought such a task would be almost impossible for some kid like me, but I couldn't have been more wrong. If you didn't know, I go to school in the boring state of Indiana, and near the Indiana University (IU) Bloomington campus. It turns out that I live quite close to the world's largest and most comprehensive stock center of Drosophila melanogaster, with over 84K strains of the tiny creature. With this hidden gem uncovered, it was a no-brainer to contact a few professors in the field. Thankfully, one responded, and we're currently working together to work on this project. I'm hopeful this paper will get published by my senior year, and I can compete at the International Science and Engineering Fair (ISEF).
It only seemed common sense that I become employed in the medical field in high school. Recently, I've discovered what a Certified Nursing Assistant (CNA) is. They're basically assistants to Registered Nurses (RN) in clinics, and help patients in their daily life: grooming, transport, etc. They also do some more monotonous tasks. I not only hope to deepen my understanding in the medical field, but also hope to make some wonderful memories.
I know it might be corny or uncommon to say, but I believe that manifesting and declarations work. So here's my declaration:
I will get into a top 5 BS/MD program in the United States. I will not be average.
If you don't know, a BS/MD program is a specialized program that a few US colleges offer for medical-bound seniors. It combines a Bachelor of Science degree and a Doctor of Medicine medical degree together. It can take the typical education (pre-residency) of a medical experience from 8 years (undergrad + med school) to as low as six years. I hope to get into Brown University's BS/MD program, but I will be fine with other top 5 programs. These programs have single-digit acceptance rates, but I'm not one to give up such a challenge. Wish me luck!
I guess this is all you really need to know about my life so far, since I've basically hibernated on this website. See ya!
-ariu, 12/11/2025