This past week, I had the opportunity to go visit Fowler Middle School along with a group of other ISM students and talk to them about the ISM Program. It is interesting feeling because it seems like just a short while back when I was in their position listening to the previous ISM students give that same presentation. It was through that presentation that I was first exposed to and blown away by the ISM Program and here I was, 5 years later, giving that presentation to current middle schoolers. I vividly remember Morgan Fritz coming to my GT English Class and presenting her final product, which was a game designed for children with special needs.I remember wondering in awe how a high schooler had managed to do something so neat. Though I was a little nervous going in, the presentation overall went smoothly. I was worried that my topic, pediatric neurosurgery, might intimidate and turn some students off automatically but as I began talking, I found myself being driven completely by my inner passion. Even if the students had absolutely no idea what pediatric neurosurgery was, the fact that I was able to pursue my passion in situation in which the sky literally was the limit captivated them. And even till this day, that is what drives me every single day in ISM. Having the freedom to learn what I want to learn and explore what I want to explore - that is truly what ISM is all about. And I have no doubt that it will be this same factor that continues to inspire kids to pursue great and mighty things in the years to come.
