Fall 2021
Melonie Abravanel
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Major: Bachelors of Nursing, graduated 2018 What are your future plans? Medical/PA School Which one word describes how you feel about organic chemistry? Victorious/Defeated (depends on the day) Hobbies/fun facts: I'm from Coeur d'Alene, ID so I love all of the lake/outdoor activities: boating, kayaking, SUP, fishing, whitewater rafting, archery, camping, etc. However, if the weather is >80F, I am more indoorsy. What I love about chemistry: Chemistry makes concepts in biology more elegant. Also to set the record straight: O Chem> Gen Chem What advice would you give new students? Not all of us learned these concepts in the same way. If something isn't working for you, try a different resource or ask someone else! You can understand all of these concepts if you give them a chance. Also, make sure you watch every lecture 1x. |
Isabel Adams
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Major: Engineering What are your future plans? Medical/PA School Which one word describes how you feel about organic chemistry? Excited! Hobbies/fun facts: I love to climb, hike, and spend time outdoors! I spent the summer living on the East Coast What I love about chemistry: I love the problem solving aspect of organic chemistry. It can be really fun and exciting when you figure out a tricky synthesis or mechanism. What advice would you give new students? Spend your time doing practice problems! The homework is so helpful in reinforcing the concepts you learn in class. They are well worth the time and effort.
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Kesaia Akau
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Major: Biology What are your future plans? Graduate School in Chemistry Which one word describes how you feel about organic chemistry? Love Hobbies/fun facts: I love traveling, binging K-dramas, baking, and eating. I'm a huge foodie! What I love about chemistry: The problem-solving aspect! It's like a puzzle. What advice would you give new students? Work hard to build a solid foundation because everything builds on itself. Relate concepts back to the basics and find patterns. Don't worry if things don't click right away. Reach out to Holly or a TA! We're here to support you! |
Alex Ballinger
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Major: Biology What are your future plans? Medical/PA School Which one word describes how you feel about organic chemistry? Satisfying Hobbies/fun facts: I love to be outside, anything with a beach is great. Traveling is my passion. What I love about chemistry: Finding something that works is very gratifying, and with chemistry there are so many real world ways to get to an answer which is cool because there’s so many different first steps you can take. What advice would you give new students? Practice. Organic chemistry is like a puzzle, once something clicks it can all come together to be very rewarding. |
Puja Batchu
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Major: Biology What are your future plans? Medical/PA School Which one word describes how you feel about organic chemistry? Excited! Hobbies/fun facts: I enjoy spending time with friends and family, dancing for fun, and reading! A fun fact about me is that I am vegetarian so please feel free to send me any good recipes :) What I love about chemistry: Something I love about chemistry is that it is like a puzzle. At first, it might be confusing, but once you crack the code, it is super fun! The more you understand, the more you can do. It is super satisfying to complete problems once you have a good understanding of why it works the way it does. Advice to students: Before lecture, briefly go over topics to gain a more solid understanding during lecture! Also, try to attend TA sessions/reviews. They are so helpful and increase your understanding of the material. Really understanding PS and PDQ problems will help you feel comfortable with the material, so take the time to go through them periodically. I would also suggest staying on top of the material and not hesitating to ask for help! There are so many resources in this class, so please take advantage of them! Organic Chemistry might seem daunting, but the best advice I received was to have fun with it! |
Mike Borton
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Major: Family, Community, and Human Development What are your future plans? Medical/PA School Which one word describes how you feel about organic chemistry? I hate chemistry but Ochem is kind of hype A4 Hobbies/fun facts: I was the 2010 and 2011 West Ada School District speed Jump Rope Champion, I got a lip tattoo for a sorority and I have spent thousands of dollars on pokemon cards What I love about chemistry: Ochem actually makes sense as opposed to gen chem Advice to students: Go to every class/TA session you can. Do practice problems |
Evan Carlson
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Major: Biology What are your future plans? Medical/PA School Which one word describes how you feel about organic chemistry? Rewarding! Hobbies/fun facts: I love golfing, running, skiing, and just about anything outdoors What I love about chemistry: I love how each problem is a new and unique puzzle. Advice to students: Don't get discouraged and don't compare your success to that of your classmates. There is a huge learning curve and everyone picks up the basics at a different pace. Once I was able to push through the initial challenges, this became my all-time favorite class!
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Dan Carter
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Major: Biology What are your future plans? Medical/PA School Which one word describes how you feel about organic chemistry? Excited! Hobbies/fun facts: I like to snowboard, golf, swim, and study epoxide reactions. What I love about chemistry: Learning new things feels enjoyable and rewarding. Advice to students: Don't be scared of organic chemistry. I didn't particularly enjoy genchem, but I love ochem.
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Liam Cunningham
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Major: Biology What are your future plans: Medical/PA School Which one word describes how you feel about organic chemistry: Gratifying! Hobbies/fun Facts: Exploring, hiking, running, skiing, quarantining, boxing, playing the Cello and other instruments What I love about chemistry: I love how problems are often like a puzzle and can be approached many different way and still get the correct answer. I also love how applicable chemistry is to life from things like the Maillard reaction that give toasted marshmallow that distinct brown and flavor, to the synthesis of TNT and so much more. Advice to students: Do your best at the beginning of the class to really understand what's going on and once it clicks the rest of the class will be so much more manageable and enjoyable. It may take some time though, I would also say making an organizational notebook, it will be invaluable to your understanding as well as on tests and quizzes and even help you into OChem 2. One last thing I would say is meet new people, make study groups, ask for help from TAs and Holly and I promise OChem will be a great experience. |
Jebeeka Dahal
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Major: Business What are your future plans? Medical/PA School Which one word describes how you feel about organic chemistry? Excited Hobbies/fun facts: I love to be outdoors and interact with people. What I love about chemistry: The process of figuring things out! What advice would you give new students? Do the PDQ and PS! |
Gabi Desjardins
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Major: Chemistry What are your future plans? Medical/PA School Which one word describes how you feel about organic chemistry? Difficult Hobbies/fun facts: I love to run and play basketball. My other hobbies include crocheting and playing with my dog, Toby, and my cat, Tulio. What I love about chemistry: Chemistry is everywhere, and it has been interesting to learn why things happen the way they do. I have also loved the community that chemistry has provided. What advice would you give new students? Work hard, reach out if you have any questions, and dedicate time for practice. You can do this! |
Aruna Dhungel
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Major: Health, Society and Policy What are your future plans? Medical/PA School Which one word describes how you feel about organic chemistry? Riddle Hobbies/fun facts: I love to eat, read, and sleep. I also enjoy going on hikes and love the Utah Mountains. What I love about chemistry: I love that every reaction in organic chemistry is like a puzzle. It can look super complicated and scary at first, but the clues given to you every day will make things easier. It will eventually start to make sense and click. What advice would you give new students? Make sure to practice every day! Don't get behind. And also find/make a study group, it makes studying a lot more fun. |
Sam Embley
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Major: Psychology What are your future plans? Pharmacy School Which one word describes how you feel about organic chemistry? Love! Hobbies/fun facts: I love to travel, try new restaurants/foods, snowboard, and go out with friends! What I love about chemistry: I love how chemistry always keeps me thinking and how I can apply it to everyday things Advice to students: Keep an open mind and don't be afraid to ask for help! |
Ivan Flores
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Major: Exercise & Sports Medicine What are your future plans? Medical/PA School Which one word describes how you feel about organic chemistry? Rewarding! Hobbies/fun facts: I like anything related to fitness, fixing/building cars, gaming, and listening to all types of music! What I love about chemistry: it is challenging and very rewarding. Advice to students: Do as many as practice problems as possible. Also, use your TAs! They are a great resource. |
Jack Gambassi |
Major: Economics What are your future plans? Medical/PA School Which one word describes how you feel about organic chemistry? Challenging Hobbies/fun facts: I love skiing, cooking, watching movies, soccer, and going to the symphony. Zac Efron is my cousin. (yes for real) What I love about chemistry: I love the feeling of figuring out a challenging problem after struggling with similar problems in the past. Noticing my growth with the material. Advice to students: Get comfortable being uncomfortable and make every problem a no-stakes quiz for yourself! Even if you are doing the homework and have access to the answer of a problem, give it an honest shot before you look, then compare your work! Also, take advantage of your TAs and all of the other incredible teaching staff. We are here to help you succeed!
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Madi Ganelin
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Major: What are your future plans?
Which one word describes how you feel about organic chemistry?
Hobbies/fun facts:
What I love about chemistry:
What advice would you give new students? |
Guari Garg
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Major: Biology What are your future plans? Medical/PA School Which one word describes how you feel about organic chemistry? Satisfying (esp drawing benzene rings) Hobbies/fun facts: I love skiing! Catch me on the ikon pass resorts this winter! What I love about chemistry: It's not as much rote memorization as biology and not as painful as physics. It takes the best from both sciences. Advice to students: Organic Chemistry is the one class where you CANNOT get away with skipping lecture, sleeping through discussions, not relying on your TAs, missing out on extra credit, or copying assignments. It's a whole different breed. For the exams specifically, I recommend redoing the PDQs, PSs, and reaction mechanisms sheets (the latter redo many times), as those are going to be most similar to the exams. Also make study groups!! I relied on my friends so so much in ochem, especially my current TA buddy :) the class REALLY picks up around exam 3 (rip synthesis) so don't be fooled if you don't have to put in as much effort in the first two exams. Finally, going to the TA office hours and Holly's office hours will be your best friend. The material is really hard to digest by yourself so use your resources; Holly gives A TON of resources. Now enough scaring everyone, you guys will all be fine but just be ready to put the work and effort into this class and everyone will be successful. |
Poi Glimore
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Major: Biology What are your future plans? Medical/PA School Which one word describes how you feel about organic chemistry? Amazed Hobbies/fun facts: Personally, nothing beats spending time with my family or trying/learning new things. You can often find me at Momentum climbing gyms, in a kayak, at Brighton ski resort, or with a book in hand. What I love about chemistry: I like how chemistry encourages your curiosity and has real life applications that are super interesting. It helps you understand the world around you. Concepts in chemistry also build on each other, so once the dots connect, everything falls into place and things start to make sense. Advice to students: You are capable of learning and excelling at Organic Chemistry; take that to heart. However difficult at times it may seem, remember that learning is our objective here. Learning is hard, messy, uncomfortable, and challenging. But remember, you are not alone! Take advantage of the resources provided in this course: office hours, Saturday reviews, discussion, practice exams...etc. Most of all - don't give up. We all struggle to learn new things. If in the moments of discomfort in this class you are willing to push just a little father, study a little longer, and utilize the resources you have available in this course, you will be successful; YOU WILL LEARN. |
Rose Godfrey
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Major: Chemistry What are your future plans? Graduate School in Chemistry Which one word describes how you feel about organic chemistry? Excited Hobbies/fun facts: I can almost land a kickflip, I recently started crocheting, and I was in the top 0.05% of Taylor Swift's listeners last year What I love about chemistry: I like that it's kind of a puzzle, especially synthesis and mechanisms; you learn all these concepts and it all comes together in the end. I also like that it's not just straight memorization. Advice to students: You definitely get out what you put into this class, staying caught up and actively participating in the class will be a life saver! |
Tessa Hingtgen
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Major: Kinesiology What are your future plans? Medical/PA School Which one word describes how you feel about organic chemistry? Intricate Hobbies/fun facts: I really enjoy working out and weight lifting. I love doing anything outdoors, such as water and snow skiing, hiking, and paddle boarding. What I love about chemistry: I love how everything comes back to the basics, and that no matter how intricate a problem is, there are always a few simple rules that can help you figure it out. Advice to students: Hard work always pays off! If you are unsure about something always ask either the professor or TA! We are here to help you so make sure you utilize your resources and it will help you to succeed.
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Nate Iverson |
Major: Chemistry What are your future plans? Medical/PA School Which one word describes how you feel about organic chemistry? Excited Hobbies/fun facts: I love living in Salt Lake City because of all the various outdoor activities. My favorites are running on the many trails that Utah has to offer and ski touring in the Cottonwood canyons. What I love about chemistry: I love that chemistry is the base line of many sciences. I think that knowing the mechanism at the micro level helps with understanding processes at the macro level. Chemistry is also cool in that understanding it has so many broader world applications in everything from cooking to cancer. Advice to students: Organic chemistry is obviously a difficult course, but it is also super interesting! I have found that fully immersing oneself into the topic helps more than just trying to memorize the bare minimum. Apply the things you are learning to real world applications (organic chemistry has many) to help deepen your understanding. Learn about the scientists who made different discoveries to make the chemistry more human. Taking a deep dive will make the learning and studying more enjoyable. |
Dana Jaber |
Major: Biology What are your future plans? Medical/PA School Which one word describes how you feel about organic chemistry? Fascinated Hobbies/fun facts: I love science, anatomy dissection, traveling, and hanging out with friends and family. What I love about chemistry: I'm going to be honest, I originally hated chemistry but organic chemistry was a total game changer for me. Organic chemistry is so amazing and interesting, the real world applications of it are so fascinating. I also really love the challenge of putting pieces of a puzzle together, in a way you sort of become a molecular architect or artist. What advice would you give new students? Practice, practice, practice! Avoid memorizing, develop a good studying system for yourself, don't cram the night before tests, don't be afraid to ask for help, go to office hours and take a deep breath you're going to do fine! (: |
Kasper Koblanski
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Major: Engineering What are your future plans? Medical/PA School Which one word describes how you feel about organic chemistry? Interconnected Hobbies/fun facts: I love talking about anything soccer-related and getting outside to run, hike, bike, or ski (not a huge fan of climbing) (yet). Always looking for places to find great food. What I love about chemistry: A lot of things don't make sense the first time you see them, but there's nothing more satisfying than zooming through problems/tests/homework once everything clicks. What advice would you give new students? Talk with everyone in your class, discussions, TAs or Holly about OChem whenever you can. If you take advantage of your resources and aren't worried about making mistakes, the class will be a breeze! |
Sydney Larsen
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Major: Chemistry What are your future plans? Medical/PA School Which one word describes how you feel about organic chemistry? Compelling Hobbies/fun facts: I actually hated Chemistry in high school but now it's my major! What I love about chemistry: I love how it feels like piecing together a puzzle. Especially in organic chemistry, when you draw out a mechanism and it all works out, it's so incredibly satisfying. Advice to students: Practice makes perfect! Going back and reworking PDQ's and other worksheet material in preparation for a test is so helpful. |
Michelle Le
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Major: Exercise & Sports Science What are your future plans? Medical/PA School Which one word describes how you feel about organic chemistry? Fun Hobbies/fun facts: I love art, nature, food, and dogs! What I love about chemistry: I think it's cool how chemistry can be applied/related to everyday life. Advice to students: Practice! Don't spend too much time reading the textbook or memorizing. Do practice problems over and over again. The concepts start to stick after you've seen it a couple of times. Don‚'t be afraid to ask questions as well! There's no such thing as a dumb question. Reach out to your TAs, go to TA sessions, and talk with the other people in the class. |
Alex Malin |
Major: Music What are your future plans? Medical/PA School Which one word describes how you feel about organic chemistry? Stoked Hobbies/fun facts: I am an adrenaline junky and love the outdoors. I rock climb, go canyoneering, mountain bike, ski, mountaineering, ice climbing, camp, and just about anything else. What I love about chemistry: I love the level of detail and the ability to always find a concrete reason behind why molecules behave the way they do. Chemistry has simple ideas that are expounded upon to create mind-boggling problems! What advice would you give new students? Ask questions and ask more questions! Talk to as many TA's as possible when a concept doesn't make sense. Sometimes you just need to hear something from a different perspective. |
Sanila Math
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Major: Anthropology & Ethnic Studies What are your future plans? Medical/PA School Which one word describes how you feel about organic chemistry? Intrigued Hobbies/fun facts: I enjoy baking bread (garlic cheese knots are my favorite) and painting clothes. If I could download a "how-to" book directly into my brain it would be for understanding bus transit systems. During the last school year, the most money I spent was probably on bags of Tru-Fru chocolate covered raspberries. I can eat an entire bag in under 5 minutes. The tie for best fast food place is between Taco Bell & In-n-Out. What I love about chemistry: I like how chemistry encourages your curiosity and has real life applications that are super interesting. It helps you understand the world around you. Concepts in chemistry also build on each other, so once the dots connect, everything falls into place and things start to make sense. Advice to students: As you take lecture notes, write down questions you have about any concept or mechanism and ask them via office hours or email, whatever you feel comfortable with. If you don't write them down, you might forget what exactly you were struggling with when you revisit your notes.
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Scotty McMullin
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Major: Chemistry What are your future plans? Medical/PA School Which one word describes how you feel about organic chemistry? Happy Hobbies/fun facts: I have been learning how to salsa dance this last summer and am still a beginner. I like to work on my car because I believe I am a smart person, however, I am not good at it. A fun fact about me is my favorite food is Indian Food but I love ice cream. What I love about chemistry: I love the patterns in chemistry. There are just so many patterns :) Advice to students: What helped me the most was practicing problems from the PDQs, Saturday Review, and discussion problem sets. I am also a huge fan of summary sheets because they help my brain to organize the information. |
Daryl Morrison
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Major: Biology & Psychology What are your future plans? MD/PhD Dual Degree Which one word describes how you feel about organic chemistry? Excited Hobbies/fun facts: I have two 15 pound rabbits and spend most of my free time in the winter in the mountains. What I love about chemistry: Chemistry is endlessly fascinating and will make you think about aspects of life that are typically easily ignored in a new light. There are so many phenomena explained by basic chemistry (often organic based chemistry!) that you'll find yourself looking at the world differently for having chemical knowledge. Advice to students: Keep up with all the new reactions you are learning and make flash cards! The more you know the terms, the easier it will be to apply them and understand what's going on
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Spencer Mukai
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Major: Business Administration/Pre-Dental What are your future plans? Dental School Which one word describes how you feel about organic chemistry? Interesting! Hobbies/fun facts: I love skiing, watching and playing soccer, and music! What I love about chemistry: A lot of ochem is like a puzzle and it keeps you thinking. It is super rewarding when you are able to solve problems and understand the material. What advice would you give new students? Be excited and get to know your fellow students so you can help each other! Do as many practice problems as you can. |
Amani Oumar |
Major: Kinesiology What are your future plans? Dental School Which one word describes how you feel about organic chemistry? Mesmerizing Hobbies/fun facts: I love all things cars! I work at a car dealership and it is one of my favorite hobbies! I also have an extra lumbar vertebrae if that counts! What I love about chemistry: I love how it makes up everything in our lives. Everything we experience in life can be traced directly to chemistry. Advice to students: Definitely keep an open mind! Ochem becomes a lot more fun and interesting once you understand the why behind it all. Also I would highly recommend pre-reading the textbook before lecture so when you are exposed to the material in class it is at least somewhat familiar! |
Esperanaza (Espi) Oyarzun
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Major: Double Major: Biology and Linguistics What are your future plans? Medical/PA School Which one word describes how you feel about organic chemistry? Exciting Hobbies/fun facts: I love dancing and music What I love about chemistry: I love the puzzle-solving aspect of it. What advice would you give new students? Practice! Take every chance you can to practice!
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Ryan Park
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Major: Health, Society & Policy What are your future plans? Medical/PA School Which one word describes how you feel about organic chemistry? Stoked Hobbies/fun facts: I enjoy sunsets, long walks on the beach, and if you want to volunteer with Special Olympics Utah PLEASE contact me :). What I love about chemistry: I really enjoyed Ochem because Professor Sebahar did a really good job of keeping the material difficult, but not so difficult that we became discouraged. Once you embrace the challenge it becomes really fun! Advice to students: Do your best to understand the mechanisms conceptually and then make sure you practice practice practice practice practice practice! |
Annie Pugmire |
Major: Biology What are your future plans? Medical/PA School Which one word describes how you feel about organic chemistry? Applicable Hobbies/fun facts: I love skiing, hiking, and playing the violin What I love about chemistry: I love how applicable it is to every day life, specifically medicine and food. It's so fascinating and rewarding to really understand why things work the way they do and to make those real world connections with the topics we learn about in class. Advice to students: Get used to drawing! And organize your notes as best you can |
Liz Ryan |
Major: Biochemistry What are your future plans? Medical/PA School Which one word describes how you feel about organic chemistry? Excited Hobbies/fun facts: I'm from Boise, ID and love being outside with my friends, family, and 3 dogs! I like camping, hiking, rafting but I also like just being at home with pals! What I love about chemistry: There is so many real world applications and so many ways to get the right answer! Advice to students: Do your very best to take one week at a time! Understand the why behind everything and each topic will be a lot easier to digest. Don't be afraid to ask for help or to make mistakes! |
Anna Tang
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Major: Math What are your future plans? Medical/PA School Which one word describes how you feel about organic chemistry? Satisfying Hobbies/fun facts: I really like to draw and I do a lot of digital art. What I love about chemistry: Solving chemistry problems and finally understanding concepts feels so satisfying. It's like when you finish a huge puzzle and everything fits together to make a complete picture! I love that feeling. For your class specifically, I love how organized everything is. As a student, it was always easy to know what I had to do, when I had to get it done, and where to find more resources for studying. What advice would you give new students? If you take time to understand and have fun while practicing chemistry, you'll have a great time in this class! |
Tara Tazehabadi |
Major: Biology What are your future plans? Medical/PA School Which one word describes how you feel about organic chemistry? Exciting!! Hobbies/fun facts: Some of my favorite hobbies include playing tennis, playing games, painting/sketching, listening to Kpop, and watching K-dramas. I enjoy learning new stuff so whenever there is an opportunity to learn a new hobbie, I take it. What I love about chemistry: I love Organic Chemistry because it is like a puzzle waiting to be solved. Chemistry really helps me think outside of my limits and allows me reason through real life logic to solve problems. I think if you allow chemistry to guide your way through problem solving, then you will really enjoy the ride. Advice to students: Don't memorize! If you feel like you are ONLY memorizing then you are doing something wrong. Go hardcore at the foundations and solidify your understanding so the materials can easily build on top of each other without memorization! Enjoy the ride! |
Mack Tempero |
Major: Anthropology
What are your future plans? Medical/PA School Which one word describes how you feel about organic chemistry? Amped Hobbies/fun facts: I enjoy the outdoors, drinking coffee, and welding. What I love about chemistry: I love synthesizing and manipulating molecules to make a specific product. You are in charge, with a box of organic chemistry tools to design the product that you desire! Advice to students: Do the work recommended by your professor! Attend TA sessions and ask questions! |
Jon Trujillo
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Major: Post-baccalaureate
What are your future plans? Medical School/PA School Which one word describes how you feel about organic chemistry? Awestruck Hobbies/fun facts: I've never had my passport stolen. What I love about chemistry: It's the language of molecular interactions we created (or discovered?). Advice to students: Just like a broken branch, stick to it. It will make sense one day. |
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