My First Few Weeks In TRIP Initiative by Z. Semianiuk

Hello everyone. My name is Z. Semianiuk and I'm a senior at William Tennent High School. I spent the majority of my life in Belarus (or that little dictatorial country everyone mistakes with Russia or Ukraine). Back at home, I was an active participant in science- and language-related Olympiads in fields like Biology, Chemistry, Russian language. Here, I take part in the Environmental and Science clubs and serve as a member of PAFA's (or Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts) Youth Council. As someone who had a chance to partake in courses like AP Seminar and AP Research, I have a great interest in almost any scholarly researchable subject matter ranging from politology to fine arts.

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Making agar plates

Learning about flies

Virtually giving screen presentation

Since I'm a rather reserved individual, in my free time, I enjoy making art, reading, and generally engaging in quiet activities. And partially because of the aforementioned trait of mine, I really wanted to join the TRIP Initiative to improve my public speaking skills and develop a personally meaningful research project while also learning in the surroundings divorced from the usual competitive way-too-many-students classroom environment. 

Upon completing my first few weeks in this program, I feel at home. The mentors and students alike have formed a close and friendly space that allows us to be explorative and not be afraid of making mistakes. Despite many hurdles I’ve met in this brief period of time (I had to miss two in-person classes), I enjoy every bit of this program and hope to continue to be inspired on my path of research in the TRIP Initiative.