A TRIP in My Fly Life by Shloka Kari

Hello Everyone! My name is Shloka Kari, and I am so excited to share a little bit about myself and my TRIP journey with all of you. I am currently a junior at Downingtown East High School, where I am involved in the Student Council, Health Occupational Students of America (HOSA), and a club I founded called Crafting for Chemo, where we crochet hats for children undergoing chemotherapy and make crafts for fundraisers. ​

We had our first major donation drive in December where we were able to donate over 30 crochet hats and $250 worth of toys to children in Nemours’ pediatric oncology unit! Outside of school, I love spending my free time volunteering with my local ambulance corps (where I assist with basic life support on 911 calls) and volunteering at my local hospital (where I gain first-hand exposure to the medical field). I am also the youth volunteer coordinator in a nonprofit called Volunteering For Seniors where I bring together young volunteers to help conduct yoga, Zumba, and other fun events to engage with active senior citizens in my community. Additionally, one of my especially favorite activities that always keeps me engaged is fostering dogs. Over five years, my family has fostered and found homes for over 20 dogs and puppies, bringing fulfillment and a bunch of chewed-up shoes and pillows into our lives. 

Something else I love to do is travel. Since I was four months old, I have vacationed in eight different countries- the most recent of which was a cruise to Mexico- and I enjoy exploring new cultures and food. One of my longest hobbies also includes Bharatanatyam Dance, a form of Indian classical dance I have been learning for almost eleven years. I love Bharatanatyam because it allows me to connect with my cultural roots and express myself through the art of dance. Finally, whenever I have a spare moment to relax, you can find me either crocheting or reading away, with my favorites including anything and everything by Malcolm Gladwell and Frank Herbert (Blink and DUNE most of all).

 I joined TRIP because I am interested in pursuing a career in medicine, research, or- ideally- a combination of both. For our first day of TRIP, we became extremely familiar with micropipetting and mixing together the perfect concoction of drugs plus fly food. My kickoff research question for TRIP is “Do circadian rhythms affect fly fertility?” I will spend the next few weeks researching more about this question. I had so much fun meeting and learning more about everyone in TRIP. I can’t wait for the next TRIP session, and I am so grateful for this opportunity! Until next time -Shloka