Christina: Tell me a little bit about yourself, where you go to school, favorite subjects and anything else you’d like to share.
Anusha: So yea hi, I’m Anusha, I am a senior at San Mateo High School and CSM Middle College and my favorite subject has always been math or science. I find it fun to be able to solve that problem; it’s very satisfying to be able to find that answer I’ve been looking for and that’s also why I really enjoyed biotech. Sometimes you do these labs repeatedly and you don’t get results, but then when you do, it’s really satisfying!
Christina: When would you say you developed an interest in science?
Anusha: Well, I grew up in India and in my school, we didn’t have resources to do labs and I always saw those on TV in true crime/forensics shows and thought, ‘Oh, that’s real science! I wish I could do that; that’s so cool!’ So when I came here, even in elementary school, we did some really cool projects, like carbon ice. I found it really interesting.
Then that just increased after taking biotech because it was such a fun and engaging and hands-on class. I wasn’t always on my books or a laptop; I was working in the lab, sometimes talking to my friends discussing things, talking to the teacher, and then working on computers and notebooks.
Christina: Yeah, so it sounds like you really like learning through hands-on experiences and sharing ideas with other people.
Anusha: Yeah, I really enjoyed that experience at biotech.
Christina: Can you tell me more about your upbringing in India and what it was like moving here?
Anusha: Yea, I was born in northern India, but due to my dad’s job as a software engineer, we had to move to South India where there’s a lot more job opportunities. I moved there at quite a young age and lived there for about 10 years and I had a lot of close friends. I was outgoing and felt like I could be myself all the time. I had some leadership positions; I really enjoyed the spotlight!
But when I had to move to America, I felt like an outsider. I didn’t feel like I could ever connect with my peers here. They were so different from my background, and I wasn’t as privileged. That’s why it was really and it still is kind of hard for me to find friends or make friends because our cultures are still so different. My culture and identity is still Indian in many aspects so I guess I am not like the regular teenager you would find here.
The teachers I had in India were great but they were really strict. We had a lot of rules, for example, we had to wear uniforms; we had to have our hair tied up in a certain way because or else we’d have to go see the principal, and our nails had to be a certain length. Everything was very strict and checked and regulated. I got used to that. When I came here, it felt really free, I liked that actually; I liked that a lot. It gave you room to breathe.
Christina: That sounds like a huge cultural shock that you had to go through. I think there’s actually a lot of people that can relate to your story and that is actually part of the American experience since we are a country of immigrants. Big kudos to you for learning a whole new language, culture and excelling in school on top of it. Thanks for sharing that.
Can you tell me a little bit more about your experience with science?
Anusha: Oh yeah, at first, I just wanted to explore physics since my dad wanted me to go in that direction. I found it really difficult at first but then it was also really fun. Like learning all those concepts and then connecting it to real life!
I took another physics class and my interest increased a lot after that class because the professor was really amazing. He really encouraged exploration and anytime I had doubts and concerns about concepts that I wasn’t able to understand, he always heard my reasoning and then explained to me where I was going wrong. I felt that was super helpful for me.
Christina: Do you remember your teacher’s name?
Anusha: Yea, Professor Wong at CSM. I highly recommend anyone to take his class. Yeah, he helped me connect with the subject; physics is cool!
Christina: I agree, a great teacher can be really inspiring when they share their love of a subject. Looking forward, do you know what you want to do career-wise?
Anusha: Yes, I’m still thinking about it. My initial plan was to go the pre-med route or become a doctor but I don’t know. I was inspired by my uncle on my mom’s side who is the first doctor in our family. I think he is a radiologist and he opened his own clinic. I remember he always had a lot of interesting devices. I was really excited to see everything he had built for himself and I really wanted to be a doctor because of that. But then when I came here, I thought realistically, it’s not financially possible. I still want to be connected to the medicine field so maybe I’ll go into the pharmaceutical industry and research in that field.
In regards to research, I would like to go into chronic diseases like diabetes that still do not have a cure. I tried understanding it, but it’s really complicated. Diabetes runs in my family. Everyone on my mom’s side of the family has diabetes, except for my mom. So I’m very curious about how it works and treatments, possible cures.
Christina: Sounds like you definitely have an interest in applying science to human health and I hope you keep pursuing that. There’s ways to overcome the financial barriers to school and I even heard there’s a medical school in New York that’s offering free tuition, so don’t give up!
Why did you apply to be a BABEC intern and what was your experience like?
Anusha: I was interested in this field since I didn’t have those opportunities in India to see labs and I wanted to have that experience.
As a BABEC intern, I worked hard and always did my best. I always asked questions because Kitty said on the first day that it’s okay if you don’t know something because no one truly knows everything and that’s exactly how you learn. So I always asked questions and I really enjoyed it. I also wanted to give more students opportunities to experience biotech so that is why I got involved with BABEC.
Christina: What was your takeaway from your experience at BABEC?
Anusha: BABEC gave me a new perspective. In school, we received all the lab reagents without knowing where they came from, and I was just grateful to Mr. Ikeda for providing them. Through the internship, I got to see the behind-the-scenes work and now truly appreciate all the hard work BABEC does.
The workshops for teachers were cool too. I have never really seen teachers sitting in student seats learning like that. So that gave me a different perspective and I got to help teachers. That was exciting. I was like, wow, teachers are just human beings, you know?
Christina: Was that kind of the highlight of your time with BABEC?
Anusha: Professional development. Yeah, it was definitely one of them.
I think being able to work with the staff at BABEC would be my highlights. Even when the work was so repetitive and monotonous, I would just strike up a conversation and everyone would join and it would be so nice and wholesome. We would just talk about everything. It doesn’t have to be just about work.
Christina: What would you say motivates you to work so hard? What keeps you going?
Anusha: Well, when we were cleaning the micropipettes at the beginning of BABEC, right? I may have complained a little bit to my mom, of course. And she reminded me of how much I wanted this internship before I got it. And now that I got it, I was sort of whiny about it.
I thought wait, that’s so true. I should be grateful for this opportunity. She told me, like, there must be something you look forward to. I really look forward to talking to everyone and enjoyed the staff lunches every day; it was so fun.
Christina: I think that’s very valid and I want you to know that you’re the reason we were all talking; you brought in your positive energy, your questions and helped create that environment. Thanks Anusha for all your help and for taking the time to share about yourself!
