Hi everyone! I’m Veronica, a third-year neuroscience/biology double major from slightly-upstate NY. Like many Obies, I struggle with an addiction to participation, though most of my extracurriculars involve either science or writing or a combination of the two. I’m the co-editor-in-chief of The Synapse, Oberlin’s undergraduate science magazine, but I’ve also been involved in a number of other campus publications, including the Oberlin Review and Wilder Voice.
I’m really involved in scientific research, both on campus and off, and I’m pretty sure it’s what I want to do for the rest of my life, forever and ever until I’m very old. During the academic year, I do research with Professor Jan Thornton on the effect of hormones on brain and behavior, specifically memory and schizophrenia. Outside of Oberlin, with winter terms and summers, I’ve done research on everything from thermoresponsive polymers, to a model of depression in the mouse, to the neural basis of sexual desire in fruit flies.
Amidst all of my crazy science classes, I try to indulge in my creative side by taking a cinema class each semester. Currently, I’m taking an experimental short film class, which allows me to zone out once in a while and play with paints and 16mm film. I once took four ExCos in a semester, which was only kind of a mistake. I might have been super stressed out, but I did learn improv, slam poetry, how to make a number of Asian food dishes, and yoga all in one semester…
Oberlin has opened so many doors for me, in terms of opportunities for progress, exploration, and learning. I get to experience so many amazing things each day, and am constantly reminded of how great Oberlin’s been to me.
