Evelyn Chen
About Me
My name is Evelyn Chen and I go to school in the Brooklyn Latin School located in Brooklyn, New York. I am currently a high school senior and my pronouns are she/her. I have two younger brothers and I love horror movies! I’ve always been interested in science and math because I enjoy the process of problem solving and learning. I also really enjoy doing academic competitions, especially in the STEM field. Recently I’ve also gotten interested in the technology aspect of STEM so I’m looking to combine my love of science and technology to create medical devices that can help improve the world. Outside of my interest in the STEM field, I enjoy listening to music, eating sweets, and just taking a walk in nature. I join many extracurriculars from city council elections to cross country to explore my interests.
Research Experience
In the beginning, I felt really worried because I didn't know too much about the topic that I was working on and based on the descriptions from my mentor, the topic seemed complex and required a lot of background knowledge. However, my mentor, Dr. Storm, was really patient and provided me with articles to read to help learn more about the topic. She also answered all of my questions and explained the process thoroughly. Dr. Storm also encouraged me to reach out with any questions so I was confident when gathering my evidence.
As my confidence in the research developed, my worry began to subside. When I began writing my paper, I created an outline and Dr. Storm helped me organize my thoughts and evidence on the paper. I also asked her to proof-read and leave comments on the research paper throughout the writing process so my confidence only developed. I felt really supported and learned a lot from this experience.
The entire experience made me love biology more. As a result, I am certain that I want to pursue biology in college and participate in research because this experience was amazing. Working with a mentor and gathering evidence to prove a point or support a study broadens my own knowledge and allows me to explore various sources.
Overall, it was a great program, and I'm grateful to have experienced it!
Mentorship Experience
My experience with my mentor was great because we both shared an interest in biology and her interest was evident in the way that she explained the topic. She frequently reached out to check-in on my process and I felt comfortable to reach out when I had questions or was unsure about something. She provided ample feedback on my work and talked about both the strong points and weak points of my research process. Dr. Storm also talked about her own experience with research and working with undergraduate students so it was a really interesting experience.
Community Experience
I felt really supported being in the Talaria Discord server because I was surrounded by students in similar positions as me. Many people were talking about their own experience and help from officers was also readily available. There were also many channels just for fun so it made me feel connected to everyone and as if I was in a server with friends rather than just students.
Favorite Part of Talaria
My favorite part was being able to complete a research paper with a mentor and gain this experience before college. I just loved the process and I hope to write more research papers in the future. This also made my passion for biology more evident.
Who I Recommend Talaria For
I would recommend a student who is hard-working and passionate. It is important to be passionate about the topic that the student is researching because it is a long and challenging process and the student must be hard-working for similar reasons. However, there are always people who are willing to help so the depth of knowledge isn't as important. Instead, to succeed, the student must have the motivation to do so.
