Welcome to My Life! by Laney Riley

Hi everyone! My name is Laney Riley and I just graduated as Valedictorian from the Academies @ Roxborough High School. I’ve lived in Philly my entire life, however, I love to travel and explore new places. During my time at Roxborough, I dedicated myself to my academics, as well as joining as many extracurriculars as I possibly could. At Roxborough, I was a part of the Biotechnology pathway. Biotechnology is a science that uses living things or parts of them in order to create products that benefit people. This can be anything from makeup to life-saving treatments for diseases. During this time, I learned so much about lab practices and had access to information about outside programs that would benefit my education, such as TRIP. I will forever be grateful for the Biotechnology program that helped me so much.

When I wasn’t in the classroom, I was constantly staying busy with extracurriculars. I participated in the debate team, was a STEAM scholar, assisted teachers when needed, was a member of my school’s GSA, had a job, and completed multiple internships/side programs. Some of these include the Immersion Science Program (another cancer research program that sadly got cut short because of Covid), a WorkReady internship, an internship at the Schuylkill Center, a Bioethics internship, and a genetics lab that branched off of the Bioethics internship, as well as continuing art and dance classes from my childhood. Staying so busy, as well as going to high school was a challenge and could be very stressful at times, however, I am so glad I stuck with it. Not only did it help when applying to colleges, but I also was given a wide range of experiences that helped me decide what I want to do with my future. 

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When I was a kid, I loved science. I couldn’t wait to learn more and I still feel the same now. While it frustrates me, I love that science is so open-ended. There are so many possibilities. It piqued my interest in a way like none other. Science allows me to solve real-world problems while also using my creative side in coming up with ways to solve those real-world problems. It feels so amazing to have the same passion as my childhood self, though it has shifted slightly. As a kid, I just wanted to do science, which makes sense because I was a kid and didn’t know all of the options out there. As of now, I want to study neurological disorders on the rarer side that don’t get the attention they deserve. I’ve yet to decide if I want to go the med school route, however, I am confident that I want to help others.

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    I’m so beyond excited to get into the lab and meet my fellow TRIP-mates.

    I’m so beyond excited to get into the lab and meet my fellow TRIP-mates. The next few weeks are going to be so exciting and I can’t wait to learn as much as I can. I can’t wait to share my experiences with others, as well as learn about theirs and hear different perspectives. So much will be happening within the next few weeks and it’s so exhilarating. TRIP will be amazing enough, and then the day after the symposium, I will be flying to Los Angeles to start my college education at the University of Southern California. Currently, my major is Biological Sciences, however, I am heavily considering switching it to Neuroscience, with a possible double major in Psychology and minoring in Forensics & Criminality, as well as Gender & Sexuality Studies. Life is about to get super exciting and I’m so genuinely excited and happy!