Hello, My name is Simran and I’m a freshman at Sacred Heart Cathedral Preparatory. I am participating in the i2 program through the year-long academic exploration program that allows me to complete my project. To begin, from a young age I have been deeply interested in studying the world around me and STEM fields. My first dream was to become an astronaut. While my plans for the future have changed (more about that later), I still love to discover the processes through which our world works. 

My current interests are the human brain, especially the changes it goes through during the teenage years and how our environments shape the people we are. In the future I want to learn more about how our genetics shape who we are. Over the past few summers I have completed many mini-projects relating to genetics through summer programs. My favorite was being able to trace my maternal ancestry through my mitochondrial DNA (this stuff is only from your mom!). 

When I came to SHCP, my plan was to find and develop my passions and interests. I joined the cross country team in the fall, and am currently competing on the track team. Both sports have taught me about my mental and physical limits, but have also shown me the importance of time-management and mental health. Having practice every day (even on our many student holidays) has taught me the importance of consistency and how it relates to motivation. Though I was practicing 6 days a week during cross country, I didn’t have any mental motivation to run faster or farther. As a result, I didn’t improve much throughout the season. During the winter off-season I was able to reflect on my season and realize the “why” of my running. With this newfound drive, I was able to run more miles in my first week of track training than I ever did during cross country. 

Another extracurricular activity of mine is Sea Scouts. Sea scouts is a sailing and watersport program run through the Boy Scouts of America. My program meets two to four times a week to work on boats, sail on the bay, build community and train for competitions. While I love the water aspects of my program, the most valuable thing I’ve gained from my 2 years in the program is a great community and a sense of leadership. As I progress through the ship I’ve had so many opportunities to teach younger scouts lessons on and off the water. I have truly valued my opportunities for leadership at Sea Scouts and have no intention of quitting anytime soon. 

Most of the hobbies and activities mentioned above started during my middle school years, and I am so excited to bring these experiences with me into high school.

MY BLOGS

i2 Projects

Anxiety.com

A website that has information on performance anxiety and other types of anxieties commonly seen in high school.

Project details