When I was asked why I chose to study human science, it left me puzzled, it always just seemed like a natural thing for as long as I could remember. I knew I loved it but being put on the spot as to why, really caught me off guard. As I sit here on an upholster chair, under a dim light of a lamp, gazing at the steam over my cup of peppermint tea, I am finding myself really thinking why, looking back on past experiences, what could make me love something so much that I would dedicate my whole life to fulfilling it, then it came to me, clearer than crystal, how could I ever forget? Even though It can get confusing, everyone should study human biology at least once, because it could lead to a a world of possibilities, you never know you might discover your future, it is all happening inside of you every second, rapidly and aggressively, you should know what you are capable of as a human, it’s so beautiful and complex.
Up until grade nine, my science was not complex and for lack of a better word, it was boring. It was dinosaurs and food chains, of course we covered the health unit of it all, referring to the birds and the bee’s and the obvious yet traumatizing question all of our parents dread as a child, where do babies come from? Let’s get real though, all that was more awkward than educational. I always wanted to be a teacher, I grew up as the baby of a fairly large family, everyone had something to teach me, I wanted to change it all and be the one finally doing the teaching. I will never forget this day, (and that is saying something because I have the recollection of a gold fish.) I was in the ninth grade, I used to dread my science class, the teacher was young and a challenging corrector, she didn't bring candy to class like my other teachers and her subjects tended to be the kind where you catch yourself gazing at the white brick walls, contemplating what colour dress I was going to wear to the next school dance, will the older boy on the basketball team like me, or food, it all varied. This one day though, it was different and it changed my life. I sat down in my typical seat, two rows from the front. As Mlle. Confiant began her class she advised us all to open our binders to a new page, and pay very close attention because we are about to do something very different. The board was so clean you could see the new LED lights reflecting off the white, dry erase material, you could smell the odour of Windex lingering around the room, what was she about to do? With her skinny, narrow back facing a crowd of hormonal teenagers, passing along contagious yawns, she wrote “DNA”. I’ve heard about it before, I knew that everyone has it, but we all have a lot of things what made this particular science so special? Even though It can get confusing, everyone should study human biology at least once, the way she explained it, there was something about it that just sparked in my mind causing a wild fire of excitement, the passion in her voice was contagious. “Your DNA is like a blue print to your body.” Those words that Mlle. Carla Confiant stated that day, that has impacted me for all these years. I turned into a girl with a passion for something more meaningful other than makeup and boys. It inspired me to rush home and discover more, I typed “DNA and human biology” into YouTube, resulting in endless videos just fascinating me, it led to a world of possibilities for me, that was the moment I knew what I wanted my life to consist of, I knew I wanted to be a women in science.
This is something I believe everyone should be exposed to at least once in their lives, we are all human and we all have bodies with working functions. We are composed of so much more than just skin and bones, we are so complex. It is a talent and a true quality to be able to recognize your own body from the outside in, as you read this there are thousands of cells, neurons, and systems coming together allowing you to be, well.. you. It is quick; every second your heart beats, blood is being rushed through your body, as I type I’m experiencing neural activity, motor movements being controlled in my brain. It is aggressive; your body is battling off bacteria and keeping you healthy, because it cares about you, so why when you’re asked to focus in on our bodies, you don’t care about it?
Being exposed to human biology that one day in the ninth grade, I discovered my future. Lucky enough for me, I discovered the human aspect of science prior to picking my high school courses for the next year. While my friends were marking off physical education and art, I was choosing advanced biology and chemistry, they didn’t understand but I guess they couldn’t see it through my perspective. I was at a point in my life of contemplating what my next chapter would consist of and I was introduced to the Bachelor of Science program at Cape Breton University. I took the requirements for admission into consideration and spent my high school years on working to achieve my long term goal of being accepted one day.
Indeed, human biology can get confusing at times, but if you work hard and ask the right questions, it is a beautiful aspect of life. I was fortunate enough to receive early admission in Cape Breton University Bachelor of Science program, on a full scholarship. I received honours all three years of high school and top academic student in grade twelve. It inspired me to take my passion to the next level and hope to someday be studying medicine and save lives, all thanks to that one day in grade nine science class.