How a High School Science Research Class Changed My Life

In fall of 2017 I was a freshman in high school. I remember my biology teacher making an announcement in class about an opportunity to sign up to be part of the school’s Science Research Program, a three-year course/extra-curricular where you complete original research and then compete presenting it. I was very interested despite never really loving biology or chemistry, since I had heard so many positive experiences from this process.

I applied and was accepted, and before I knew it it was next September. As a student in the class I had spent my summer collecting sources about my topic of interest attempting to find a gap in research. Behavioral research was fascinating to me, specifically looking at ways we could educate people to make dietary changes in their lifestyle. The use of video particularly stood out to me and I chose to design a research study where using a pre and post video questionnaire, I would analyze the impacts of the educational video on changing viewer perspectives towards eating a plant-based diet. 

Video was an incredible tool—it was successful and achieved the results I had been looking for. And while I did learn a lot about the importance of healthy eating, I was far more moved by the power of communication. It truly had the ability to educate, entertain, but even change the trajectory of someone’s life. 

It was from that moment on that I felt I would have to pursue my love for content creation. I realized that at the core of the world’s issues, the main solution to many would be improved communication.

Since then, I have been dedicated to changing the way we live, the conversations we have, the messages we see. Strengthening them, emphasizing them, listening more, learning more.