The opinions expressed in this article are the writer’s own and do not reflect the views of The University of Scranton.
All your life, you’ve been told you’re either a “math” or an “English” person. Chances are, if you consider yourself to be the former, you frequently dread your writing seminar. You probably also dread writing that lab report, which requires you to compile the results of your experiment in a comprehensive, legible manner. If you fall into the latter category, you most likely proclaim to be just “bad at math.” Numbers just aren’t your thing.
The truth is, humans create categories to help them make sense of the world, and this self-fulfilling narrative helps us cope with only indulging in (and being capable of) one professional sector. However, this limits our creativity and sense of innovation. Only when we all feel comfortable living in the spectrum—floating between the arbitrary categories of fractions and subject-verb agreement—can we truly embrace all our “callings.”
I’m here to talk about a few of my personal icons who exhibit talent in both the liberal arts and the sciences. That’s right: both.
Let’s start with someone I’m sure we all know and love: Dr. Mayim Bialik, the actress who plays Amy in The Big Bang Theory, is not only an actress but also a neuroscientist! As her title suggests, she earned a Ph.D. in neuroscience and wrote her dissertation on the effects of hypothalamus regulation on certain behaviors correlated with Prader-Willi Syndrome. If you’re asking yourself what those words mean, I say this with all the love in my heart: it doesn’t matter.
The point is, she knew what she found interesting, and she wholeheartedly chased after it. To me, that shows we should foster our interests as if they were precious metals. Treat them kindly, because they are what make us human.
A well-known author and STEM geek (who also, remarkably, beat cancer) is Hank Green. No, not John Green, though he fits into this intersection of science and writing too. The Green brothers worked together to create Crash Course and Vlogbrothers, two wildly successful YouTube channels that educate young minds.
John Green recently wrote a book called The Anthropocene Reviewed, where he goes on a nerdy journey through human history, blending personal essays with insights into the world. (Correction: “Everything is Tuberculosis” appears to be a misstatement). Hank Green, who has created countless Crash Course episodes on biological systems, chemical reactions, and psychological phenomena, also wrote a fictional novel called An Absolutely Remarkable Thing. The story follows a young, queer woman who discovers a mysterious sculpture and solves puzzles in her dreams about said sculpture. If that’s not sci-fi, I don’t know what is!
Their individual books—different as their interests might be—are the culmination of all their knowledge. They didn’t choose between STEM and writing; they found merit in both.
Finally, one of my favorite comedians who also earned an MD is Ken Jeong. He has an extraordinary talent for representing Asian Americans in a funny, relatable way. He’s showcased this ability in films like Crazy Rich Asians and sitcoms like Dr. Ken. Plus, he’s a practicing doctor who decided to put that on the back burner (but not fully away!) to follow his dreams of becoming an actor and comedian. He brings comfort to people who may struggle with finding their identities, especially when it comes to careers.
I want all of you to know that ambition is never something to be embarrassed about. Keep your head up and follow that passion! At the end of the day, the thing that matters isn’t necessarily what you’re good at. It’s the thing that makes you feel alive. So, do me a favor: hold on to whatever it is that makes you tick. And never let go.