First Day on My TRIP by Mia Perez

Hi everyone! I'm Mia Perez, a junior at the Creative and Performing Arts High School, where I major in instrumental music. I love music and science, so when I discovered this program opportunity to enhance my lab skills and conduct a research project, I knew I had to apply. Since taking Environmental Science in my Freshman year, I have developed a passion for labs and research. Trying each year to find opportunities to do lab research, I’m glad I found a program where I can not only do lab work but also combine all my work into a project I get to present. I hope to take my knowledge from this program and decide if it is the best career for me. (So far, so good. I have high hopes!!!)

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I am from Buenos Aires, Argentina, and moved to the U.S. when I was 7 years old. Although I’m also of Dominican descent. All my life I have been surrounded by a mix of Latin cultures, eating foods from both countries, learning the history of both countries through my family, and feeling connected to each still now after living in America for almost 10 years, visiting the countries whenever I can. 

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At CAPA (my high school) I mainly focus on playing the violin as it is my major, usually taking 3 major classes out of 8 classes total each year. I play in my school's orchestra, and chamber orchestra, and play violin outside of school in a program called AllCity that unites the teens around Philly schools to play all together at the Kimmel Center. I try my best to better the community around me. I am currently the secretary of my school’s Community Service Club, I'm part of the Student Council, I made a project to use music to help special needs kids, and I’m the advertisement head of the prom committee. I strive to make a positive impact on others whether that be inside the schools with school events, leading orientations for new kids, or outside the school like raising over 300 dollars from a Community Service event and donating to help women’s cancer research. 

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On our first day at TRIP, we got to know the other people in the program better through competitive bingo and a scavenger hunt. We also learned how to use micropipettes and learn about dilutions. Near the end, we each got our project question and made our fly food for the project, also given a fly family to take home (I’m a bit scared of it…). Overall, it was a great first day getting to know everyone and starting on a journey that I am going to love.