iacrenter
Well-known member
An inspiring article written about a NW High alumni who became a Rhodes Scholar. Congratulations to her and her family for such an achievement. Though I am little doubtful on that last quote--I am sure like any good parents, they pushed their daughter to work hard and achieve.
"My parents have always been very supportive of everything I do," she said. "They have never pressured me and always encourage me to find a balance in life."
=============http://www.ocregister.com/news/lin-328457-research-program.html
O.C. Rhodes Scholar focuses on service, science
By FERMIN LEAL
2011-11-23 11:11:57
MIT senior Stephanie Lin has spent much of the last four years helping others, whether it's leading student teams to assist impoverished Mexican villages or serving as an advocate for the poor in Boston.
At the same time, the Irvine native and graduate of Northwood High, has excelled academically, becoming one of the top students at the highly competitive New England university.
Her college resume is packed with awards and recognitions for her volunteer work, and for her research alongside top scientists at MIT. And those accolades also helped Lin land this week a Rhodes Scholarship, considered the most prestigious in the world.
"I feel so fortunate. There are so many amazing people who apply for this honor," said Lin, 21. "I hope this opportunity can open the door for me to continue pursuing those interests I love."
Lin joins 44 other MIT students named Rhodes Scholars in the program's 109 year history. Lin is among 32 other recipients headed for the University of Oxford next fall.
At Oxford, Lin will study medical anthropology and global health science. She hopes to eventually combine her passions of helping the underprivileged with scientific research by becoming an infectious disease physician and epidemiologist, advising governments on effective health care strategies.
"I find epidemiology very fascinating," she said. "Studying the social and political aspects of why disease spreads is how I want to make an impact."
But Lin wasn't always sure of her career path. In high school she considered becoming a librarian. As a freshman, she arrived to MIT with a plan to earn a degree in chemistry. Her focus changed after she volunteered with Health Leads Boston, a program in which volunteers work with physicians and other health care providers to provide free medical exams, screenings and other services to needy families.
"Growing up in a place like Irvine, you don't always see the problems that many people in large, urban areas experience," she said. "I got to see homelessness firsthand and how other people struggled each day just to get by."
Lin, now the program's resource coordinator, works to provide women with resources ranging from employment assistance to housing. Lin also trains and supervises other volunteers.
She later joined the MIT Global Poverty Initiative, a student organization dedicated to fighting poverty. In January, she led a trip to the Mexican rural village of La Vaquita, to study the health conditions. The students concluded that the lack of protein variation in villagers' carbohydrate-rich diets was a key contributor to the area's high rate of deaths due to diabetes.
This summer, her team traveled another Mexican village, Chiteje de Garabeto, where they worked with the Peace Corps to create a pilot program to diversify residents' diets by building low-cost greenhouses. The team helped build 14 greenhouses for villagers.
"Stephanie is a delightful young woman who never fails to greet with a smile and a kind word," said Linn Hobbs, professor of engineering and nuclear science at MIT. "Her modesty belies a considerable inner strength, demonstrated through her volunteer work with some of the most disadvantaged populations."
Meanwhile, Lin balanced her humanitarian efforts with her academic pursuits.
Two years ago, she conducted research at the Whitehead Institute for Biomedical Research, studying the Kaposi's Sarcoma virus, a cancer virus that commonly infects AIDS patients. She continued the research last summer at the Chao Cancer Research Center at UC Irvine, studying how a retroviral oncogene causes cancer.
Last summer, she interned with the County of San Diego's Tuberculosis Control Program, where she worked to improve the continuity of care for tuberculosis patients who travel between the United States and Mexico.
She also serves as vice president for education in her sorority, Kappa Alpha Theta, and is editor-in-chief of MIT's literary magazine, Rune.
Lin credits her parents Muh-ren Lin and Jennifer Chiao, both electrical engineers at Broadcom Corp., for fostering her sense of service and encouraging her to follow different passions.
"My parents have always been very supportive of everything I do," she said. "They have never pressured me and always encourage me to find a balance in life."
Contact the writer: 714-704-3773 or fleal@ocregister.com
"My parents have always been very supportive of everything I do," she said. "They have never pressured me and always encourage me to find a balance in life."
=============http://www.ocregister.com/news/lin-328457-research-program.html
O.C. Rhodes Scholar focuses on service, science
By FERMIN LEAL
2011-11-23 11:11:57
MIT senior Stephanie Lin has spent much of the last four years helping others, whether it's leading student teams to assist impoverished Mexican villages or serving as an advocate for the poor in Boston.
At the same time, the Irvine native and graduate of Northwood High, has excelled academically, becoming one of the top students at the highly competitive New England university.
Her college resume is packed with awards and recognitions for her volunteer work, and for her research alongside top scientists at MIT. And those accolades also helped Lin land this week a Rhodes Scholarship, considered the most prestigious in the world.
"I feel so fortunate. There are so many amazing people who apply for this honor," said Lin, 21. "I hope this opportunity can open the door for me to continue pursuing those interests I love."
Lin joins 44 other MIT students named Rhodes Scholars in the program's 109 year history. Lin is among 32 other recipients headed for the University of Oxford next fall.
At Oxford, Lin will study medical anthropology and global health science. She hopes to eventually combine her passions of helping the underprivileged with scientific research by becoming an infectious disease physician and epidemiologist, advising governments on effective health care strategies.
"I find epidemiology very fascinating," she said. "Studying the social and political aspects of why disease spreads is how I want to make an impact."
But Lin wasn't always sure of her career path. In high school she considered becoming a librarian. As a freshman, she arrived to MIT with a plan to earn a degree in chemistry. Her focus changed after she volunteered with Health Leads Boston, a program in which volunteers work with physicians and other health care providers to provide free medical exams, screenings and other services to needy families.
"Growing up in a place like Irvine, you don't always see the problems that many people in large, urban areas experience," she said. "I got to see homelessness firsthand and how other people struggled each day just to get by."
Lin, now the program's resource coordinator, works to provide women with resources ranging from employment assistance to housing. Lin also trains and supervises other volunteers.
She later joined the MIT Global Poverty Initiative, a student organization dedicated to fighting poverty. In January, she led a trip to the Mexican rural village of La Vaquita, to study the health conditions. The students concluded that the lack of protein variation in villagers' carbohydrate-rich diets was a key contributor to the area's high rate of deaths due to diabetes.
This summer, her team traveled another Mexican village, Chiteje de Garabeto, where they worked with the Peace Corps to create a pilot program to diversify residents' diets by building low-cost greenhouses. The team helped build 14 greenhouses for villagers.
"Stephanie is a delightful young woman who never fails to greet with a smile and a kind word," said Linn Hobbs, professor of engineering and nuclear science at MIT. "Her modesty belies a considerable inner strength, demonstrated through her volunteer work with some of the most disadvantaged populations."
Meanwhile, Lin balanced her humanitarian efforts with her academic pursuits.
Two years ago, she conducted research at the Whitehead Institute for Biomedical Research, studying the Kaposi's Sarcoma virus, a cancer virus that commonly infects AIDS patients. She continued the research last summer at the Chao Cancer Research Center at UC Irvine, studying how a retroviral oncogene causes cancer.
Last summer, she interned with the County of San Diego's Tuberculosis Control Program, where she worked to improve the continuity of care for tuberculosis patients who travel between the United States and Mexico.
She also serves as vice president for education in her sorority, Kappa Alpha Theta, and is editor-in-chief of MIT's literary magazine, Rune.
Lin credits her parents Muh-ren Lin and Jennifer Chiao, both electrical engineers at Broadcom Corp., for fostering her sense of service and encouraging her to follow different passions.
"My parents have always been very supportive of everything I do," she said. "They have never pressured me and always encourage me to find a balance in life."
Contact the writer: 714-704-3773 or fleal@ocregister.com