Samridhi Sudan
1. What impact do you feel you can make on society with your degree?
“The nervous system is transhistorical” The first time I heard this phrase, I got shivers. It
sounded like a phrase right out of a science fiction book. My biology teacher explained to me
that in the nineteenth century neurobiology and the nervous system became transhistorical. The
nerves could change, but never erase their past. I was initially apprehensive about the
fundamentals of neuroscience. From mental illness to neurophysiology of thinking, from why do
we dream to what is intelligence. Nothing is as mysterious as neuroscience. Neuroscience is so
interdisciplinary. It’s the ultimate result of an everlasting “why”.
I’m interested in how neuroscience relates to relations of the body, society, and
civilization. What made it possible for the nervous to integrate the whole body and mind, but
continue to hold on to the essences of the generalities of civilization?
A few years ago, my grandfather was a fiery, goal-oriented man. Since then, a
neuroanatomy disease called glioblastoma has sprung him into distress. Witnessing my
grandfather’s downward spiral has opened my eyes to the effects of neurological diseases.
I grew up witnessing firsthand the strenuous life that often accompanies a cancerous disease in
medicine. That’s why, as a child, I vowed to pursue a career in medicine to make a daily impact
on the large-scale issues of health.
I often imagined myself as a neurologist, an interest that I obtained through summer
science camps and school clubs. When I entered high school, I continued to expand my
knowledge through various medical courses. Over four months, the Foundation of Medicine by
the Future Doctors Academy fostered my initial interest in neurobiology and flourished my
passion for science.
