TRIP Phase 1: The Early Days by Casey Kim

    Hi everyone!  My name is Cassandra (Casey) Kim, and I am a junior at North Penn High School.  I joined TRIP because I wanted to gain experience working in a lab and learn from like-minded peers and mentors.  I have always been a naturally curious person, and TRIP was one of the few programs I found that allowed students to pursue their own interests through independent study.

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    My love for STEM and research comes from my own personal experiences.  I’ve had severe Atopic Dermatitis all my life, which is why I eventually want to go into medical research to help further our understanding of these conditions and find treatments for others like me.  However, it’s safe to say that skin is a major interest of mine, as it led me to found my own nonprofit last year, the SkinHope Initiative, a student-led organization dedicated to inspiring hope in the community through skin advocacy and awareness.  Conveniently, this also feeds into my love for public speaking, as I find myself presenting for SkinHope quite a bit.  In school, I serve as the president of my school’s Model United Nations, where we debate everything from AI to conflicts in alternate dimensions.  I love practicing debate and teaching others to do the same.  I’m also heavily involved in my school's Healthcare Occupations Students of America (HOSA) chapter, where I had the pleasure of competing in the International Leadership Conference this past year for my event of Researched Persuasive Writing and Speaking (a mouthful, I know).  Aside from my STEM-ish activities, I also love taking Latin.  As a 4-year Latin student, I’ve developed a deep love for Roman history and studying etymology.  Even though it’s a dead (I like to say “dying”) language, it still has its uses, as it’s amusing to notice a Latin derivative in the wild here and there.  As for my FUN facts:  I love to crochet, play Tetris, and if I’m busy, you can usually find me blasting some worship music.  ​

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​    Yesterday at TRIP, we learned how to micropipette and make fly food for our Kickoff Experiment.  Specifically, my question will investigate the effect(s) of head trauma on fly anxiety.  It was so amazing to meet Dr. Austria, the instructors, Dr. Valdés and Dr. Maskalenko, and the TAs, Hannah and Sabina.  Everyone was so welcoming and kind (even to my endless stream of questions), and I loved being in the lab with such enthusiastic people.  I am so grateful to be a part of this outstanding program, and I can’t wait to see where TRIP takes me.