A TRIP Worth Taking by Hannah Tong

Hi guys! My name is Hannah Tong, and I am currently a junior at Harriton High School. I originally heard of TRIP through my academic seminar teacher and was immediately interested because I thought it would be a great way to connect what I learn in the classroom with real-life scenarios! I feel like there’s definitely a gap between doing labs in school and an actual job in research, which is why I really appreciate the chance to be a part of TRIP@WTHS’25! I want to work in the medical field in the future, so TRIP will have a huge impact on whether I want to pursue a career in the lab or go down a different route. Regardless, I’m definitely going to push myself and have some fun with the amazing people here! ​

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A little about me outside the program: I LOVE creating and collecting little trinkets (mystery boxes are my weakness and probably the reason I will go broke). I have a shelf above my bed filled to the brim with cute figures, little crafts, and gifts. I’ve been doing art for about nine years and am head of Zenith, which is our school's art club, as well as a member of our service league (HSL) and the technology student association (TSA). Just this weekend I was running a hygiene kit packaging event at MLK Day at Lower Merion High School and competed in regionals for TSA. I actually quite enjoy a busy weekend because it helps me stay productive, plus the satisfying feeling of crossing an item off your list is hard to beat.

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For our first day of TRIP, we learned how to use micropipettes and set up our flies’ food for the kickoff experiment. My experimental question is whether vitamin D and head trauma affect mobility, and I’m very much interested in what the results will be. I'm also excited to be able to work with the flies next session, even if I do feel a little bad that I’ve got to give them head trauma. It’s only been a few hours since the start of the program, and I already know that I’m going to learn a lot and get to know some really wonderful people. Huge shoutout to our TAs, Phoebe, Martie, and Amritha, for some killer group photos, as well as a massive thank you to Dr. Purdy, Dr. Austria, Dr. Valdes, and Mr. Cozzone for an amazing first session, and I can’t wait till next week!

It’s only been a few hours since the start of the program, and I already know that I’m going to learn a lot and get to know some really wonderful people.