As we get into the school year, students are already swamped with school work, jobs, extracurriculars, and basic needs like eating and sleeping. One such student is senior Jessica Shin, someone I personally have the privilege of calling my friend. As if being a Chemistry major isn’t enough to keep her busy, she is also a Resident Assistant, a Departmental Assistant for Organic Chemistry, a member of the Chemistry club, and a PAL for Allies in STEM. With more than enough work and experience, Jessica has a lot to share with the world and her story is worth the read.
Her Campus at Cal Lutheran: Why did you decide to major in Chemistry?
Jessica Shin: Multiple reasons; at first it was to please my parents. But afterwards, I realized it was actually a subject that I truly do have a passion for and I was bale to make it into something that I truly enjoy and have as my priority now.
HCCLU: What was being a transfer like?
JS: That was pretty interesting because of the difference in the school cultures; SBCC was very fast-paced. Santa Barbara is a college town and SBCC is a city college so students would be between 18 to 27 years old. But in Thousand Oaks, it’s much more calm, affluent, white area so that was definitely a change of pace. It was difficult to take the initiative to come to campus for certain events because as a transfer you don’t have that repertoire with professors or with other students, you’re essentially starting fresh while everyone else is two years ahead of you in social interactions. But working in the Residence Life and Student Conduct Office was definitely a huge help because I got the chance to know RAs, SRAs, and the staff in general and they helped me out with understanding how to reach out and determining which events were best for me.
HCCLU: So you went from working in the Residence Life and Student Conduct Office to being a Resident Assistant, what’s that like?
JS: It’s absolutely amazing. My favorite part about being an RA is knowing the residents and having that day to day interaction with them rather than just seeing them in class or when we have to study. It’s a different kind of environment that we get to interact in, which I really like. I also love the staff, the staff itself is absolutely amazing.
Jessica and the rest of her RA staff
HCCLU: What is being a Chemistry major like?
JS: Compared to other universities, the STEM majors at Cal Lutheran are smaller, size wise, and I think that’s because Cal Lutheran is just now advertising it’s Pre-Med program. What I personally like about the STEM community is that since we are so small, we know everyone and we do have the same struggles. Specifically with my major, we need to take both semesters of P Chem, which is Physical Chemistry, and that is one of the most intensive courses on campus. It’s a course that will essentially rip you apart and you have to pick the pieces up afterwards. But I think the camaraderie of that collective suffering is what brings us closer together as a STEM community. It’s also a different way of finding the truth. What I really appreciate at Cal Lutheran is that we don’t only look at numbers or raw data or statistics, we also try to understand the ethics behind it. We try to find value in that data and figure out how to apply it to the community. It’s not only about getting the higher yield or figure out what’s going on in a reaction, it’s finding out what’s the value of this information, what can you take from this and apply it into your field. That’s what I also like about the research aspect, not only does it give you experience but you get to figure out how to apply that research to the community. The Organic Chem supervisor I have, Dr. Cordova, he puts in that extra effort to show us what is ethical about this research, how can you apply this to your field of research and what can you do to gain a more well-rounded understanding.
HCCLU: When did you start developing a personal interest in Chemistry?
JS: I really started to get interested my second year in community college. The first year was just general credits, so my second year I started getting into real Chemistry courses, I actually took sign language courses. Something I learned in my sign language courses was that a lot of deaf students don’t necessarily like going into STEM only for the reason that their access is a little bit lacking. It’s not to say that they aren’t understanding the material, it’s more so that the interpreter doesn’t know how to interpret the subject or the concept. My professor, who was deaf, had explained to me that while she wanted to go into mathematics, the thing that deterred her in high school was that her interpreter had spelled genes, as in DNA genes, as “jeans.” And that isn’t going to work for those students, especially if they’re going into a field where you work with a team and you need an interpreter. They can’t have their interpreter not know what’s going on in that case, but especially if that student is still trying to learn it themselves. So that really sparked my interest in Chemistry because I wanted to apply it to not just research, industry, or getting a job in a lab but to be a bridge between deaf students and STEM itself. So having them be comfortable and knowing that their interpreter actually has a degree in STEM gives them a much better sense of security that their interpreter actually knows what’s going on. They know I would be able to tutor them and interpret the material and what’s actually going on in the class.
HCCLU: Is that the route you want to go once you graduate?
JS: That is one route, that was my original plan. But then while I was doing research this summer, I was also interested in working for industry as well. I could put the two together, but that’s a very long and convoluted process. I would graduate from here with my Bachelor in Science, take a year or two off in order to save money and pay off my students loans and then work in research. Then from there I would go through a master’s program and a doctorate program then after that I would be reaching out to Rochester Institute of Technology, which is in New York, because they have an academic program specifically for deaf students in STEM and I would try to branch out from there.
HCCLU: What research did you do this past summer?
JS: The background for what I’m doing is to synthesize something called spirocycles. Spirocycles are a specifc type of three dimensional structure and is very important to the field of oncology. So what medical biologists and sometimes oncologists do is utilize spirocycles to stop cancer cells from growing.You can’t necessarily make spirocycles, it’s a 8 to 10 step synthesis which is very long and costs a lot of money and time, which isn’t something manufacturers want, unless you want to pay a substantial amount of money. So we’re trying to reduce the number of steps from 8 to 10 down to 5 to 7, which will save a lot of time and money. This will also reduce the cost for the general public.
HCCLU: Why did you decide to pursue that specific research?
JS: This research hits very close to home only because my grandfather, who I grew very close with because he was he one who raised me while my parents were at work, had passed away from colon cancer. I always wanted to try something with medical research but I knew I didn’t want to go to med school. So something that really peaked my interest with Dr. Cordova was that he is in organic chemistry, which is what I’m really interested in. But, the specific spirocycle that we’re synthesizing is something that can be used for colon cancer as well. So it’s kind of like an homage to my grandfather.
HCCLU: What do you do outside of being an RA?
JS: I’m continuing my research in the fall and I’m also a departmental aid for Organic Chemistry for the same supervisor, Dr. Cordova. I tutor and that’s honestly really fun, I was a little worried. I was a DA over the summer but I only had 3 to 5 students, but the first day of the semester that I’m working, I’m already getting 10 to 15 students. It’s really great to see how dedicated they are, especially in the subject I’m very interested in. But it’s also intimidating when they ask a multitude of questions and I have to think back to two semesters ago. I am a Peer Academic Leader, PAL, which means I work for both the Chemistry Department and the Allies in STEM depratment. I’m essentially becoming a leader and role model for under-represented students in Allies in STEM. So I would be going to events, I would be helping students specifically in Allies in STEM, and just the general student population on campus.
HCCLU: What would you say to STEM students who might be reading this?
JS: We all have the same goal of wanting to help each other, I know STEM can get you down, but we all do have that goal. Knowing that everyone in STEM, although we’re suffering from classes or feeling down, sometimes the tests will absolutely crush you, but we can confide in one another and our end goal is to help. It’s not to just get a grade, graduate then leave. It’s in this present time now, with the classes I’m taking, I have friends and peers that can guide me in my specific career path while also having a relationship with supervisors and staff in the department. A funny saying my friend group in STEM goes by is “you don’t sleep when you’re tired, you sleep when you’re done.” That’s something that isn’t necessarily the best thing, but it does definitely drive us because we want to get done as fast as we can, in the most efficient way. We do that by helping one another.
HCCLU: Do you have a favorite class?
JS: One of them is Organic Chemistry, only because I took it at the SBCC and the professor was cutthroat about it, he would gives us the information and we’d figure it out. Dr. Cordova, however, is very much about how do you apply this in your field of interest or how do you apply this in your field even if you’re not interested, how can you use the problem solving in this aspect of Organic Chemistry in your biology class, in your job. How do you talk about your research to your potential supervisors during an interview. He understands that college is not forever, this is a stepping stone to our careers, to our vocations. He truly does want us to succeed in our own specific ways. What I really appreciated about that class was not only how informative it was, but he really had this awareness and recognition that chemistry might not be the most interesting class and he definitely catered to each individual student.
HCCLU: What’s something you live by?
JS: What I had said early about not sleeping until you’re done, I tweak it a little bit because it’s not the healthiest way to live. But it is something that has motivated me for a very long time, you don’t just give up. You do it because you want to, even when you’re tired.