Exploring my Passions by Cade Jin

Hey everyone! My name is Cade Jin, and I am currently a junior at Central Bucks South High School. While I was born in Kansas, I quickly moved to China when I was less than a year old, and spent around two years there. When I was there, I got the privilege to be raised by some of the most amazing people in the world. While I do not remember much from then, I always hear stories and have glimpses of images in my head reminding me of how happy my relatives made me.  Going back always feels nostalgic and joyful, and even though the quality of life in China is lower than America’s, it feels more cozy and almost like home. 

However, I feel very blessed to be able to live here, and have so many great opportunities like the TRIP Initiative that can allow me to pinpoint and pursue my interests. I’ve always been more of a numbers and logic person, so naturally, I have a strong interest in math and science. While school is a great place to get an understanding of certain subjects, I wanted to actually physically participate in what I was learning. Yes, there are small labs and assignments in school, but having a place where I can go every week to study something that is unique to me is a much more fulfilling experience. ​

So far, TRIP has exceeded my expectations. I was a bit worried that it may be too much to handle, and it would be hard to grasp some of the lab techniques, but the instructors (Dr. Purdy and Dr. Leystra) make the program very easy to follow along and succeed in. The pacing of the course has been just right so far. It does not feel overwhelming yet every week it feels like I am genuinely learning new things and making progress in the areas I am passionate about. I’m looking forward to seeing where TRIP takes me and am very excited to start my independent research project!