Samantha White serves as a judge and tutor for Washington DC’s local Brain Bee each year. About her time as an undergraduate student at American University (she graduated in 2018), she says, “Balancing classes, work, lab time, and a social life got complicated, but I always found time to engage with the community.” Here, read how making time for outreach has influenced her career aspirations and her advice for getting involved.
What initially sparked your interest in outreach?
Community service has always been a part of my life. My role models growing up always emphasized how import it is to give back. As a college student, the best way I knew how to do that was donating time and enthusiasm for causes I care about: education and STEM outreach.
During my junior year, I started a neuroscience club on campus with some friends. We were looking for ways to get members involved in the DC community. That led us to the DC Brain Bee.
It’s a fun event where, even as a judge, we had the chance to quiz ourselves on brain basics and encourage high school students throughout the competition. It was really exciting to see the students get fired up about neuroscience. Their energy was infectious. We all left the event inspired to study even more.
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