When choosing a college, I knew I wanted a new start. I had gone to school with the same people for many years and I wanted to meet new people. No one from my school had plans to go to La Sierra University so I was excited to come here. My time at La Sierra started slightly before the school year with STEM Bridge. This two-week program introduced me to the campus and many people that I ended up becoming friends with; many of those friends are also in Honors.
As the fall quarter progressed, I was able to handle the workload of college since I only had 13 units. During this time, I also joined the Worm Pyramid with Dr. Nate Sutter. Even though I did not initially understand why we were researching microscopic worms, I slowly began to enjoy it more and more. I have stayed in Worm Pyramid throughout this entire first year and I think one of the most important things I have gained from it is to stay curious.
Going into the winter quarter, I was accepted to join the SEA-PHAGES research program with Dr. Diaz. However, with this new opportunity also came new challenges. I needed to take 20 units for the winter and spring quarter in order to stay on track with my degree plan. I was not scared initially since I had not experienced it before, but also because I had faith that God would help me during these times. It is easy to have faith when you are not actively in the struggle. As I went through the winter quarter, everything became more and more difficult. I had the recurring thought that it would be so much more manageable if I only had one less class. I was able to do well in my classes still, mostly because of God and the support from my classmates.
Spring quarter is when I started to falter from the pressure. The lab for SEA-PHAGES, although very interesting and enjoyable with friends, was more demanding of my time than the winter quarter. My biology, chemistry and calculus classes were all covering things I had never seen before. Most of the time, I had to choose which class to prioritize based on which I thought would have the hardest test. I also found challenges in my current Honors class, The Arts. For this class, we were assigned to write a paper about whatever artistic topic we wanted. I chose to write about the band Radiohead because I have never liked their music. I wanted to see what I thought about them if I learned more about their music and music-making process. In this attempt to broaden my horizons, I still do not enjoy their music; however, I respect their art much more. Even though all of these things were difficult for me, I was still able to enjoy my classes.
I have been blessed to have friends who support me in classes and group projects. Without them, I would not have been as successful this year. They often make the classes more enjoyable when I feel run down. Even though I haven’t slept enough in 10 weeks, I still find joy. Even when I did poorly on a math test, I knew it would be ok.
I wasn’t always like this. I would ruminate on what I could have done better every day but at some point, I decided to praise God when things went wrong instead of being disappointed (at least not for long periods of time). I know that school will get harder each year, but I know that it will be ok in the end because God is on my side. “Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness.” – James 1:2-3
-Annika Samayoa, Class of 2027, Biophysics/Pre-Medicine