Flying Into New Horizons by Jessica Joseph

Hello everyone! My name is Jessica Joseph. I am a junior at Conestoga High School, where I am the founder, president, and ambassador of the Lingua Link Club, an ENGin chapter. The mission of Lingua Link is to serve as a Ukrainian language and culture club that provides a platform for students to tutor English to children in a warzone, share culture and history, and foster empathy and understanding for Ukrainian students. I am also the Lead Copy Editor in my school’s Literary Magazine, known as The Folio, encouraging creativity among students with literary and artistic talents. Within the school environment I am a peer mediator and peer tutor.

---

​During my free time, I engage in a range of extracurricular activities. I enjoy photography, painting still life, and dancing. To nurture a love for the sciences among young children I initiated a science reading program at the local library. Apart from this, I volunteer at the local soup kitchen. I also volunteer at a hospice while being a bedside companion that provides emotional support and overall wellbeing.

​My love for the sciences was ignited in freshman year. While learning about cellular biology, I was intrigued and fascinated by the role of the cell and cellular regeneration. Realizing its potential and incorporation in the process of battling cancer, I researched upon this topic. I was able to publish my research paper (on Immune Cell Regeneration and Multiple Myeloma Cancer). My pursuit of scientific inquiry and knowledge led me to apply to TRIP.

---

As I have embarked on this journey, I gained hands-on experience with micropipetting, making solutions and dilutions, assembling fly food in vials, laboratory procedures, and observing the developmental process of Drosophila Melanogaster (Fruit Fly). All this while having fun and making new friends and connections. I hope to fly into new horizons through this program backed by research and laboratory experimentation.

---