Spring 2025- Service Hours: 0

I have not gotten any volunteer hours yet for this semester but I am planning on finding a few new places/events to help with. The curriculum thus far into the semester has been very interesting to me. In all honesty, I did not have a lot of background on the reproductive or endocrine system and it has been fascinating to connect the dots between biological processes in the body. My favorite topic this semester has been insulin signaling and insulin resistance. When I first started to learn about metabolism and the different pathways, I found it very frustrating because the molecules could not be categorized to one path and there seemed to be so much overlap. However, as I started to understand the pathways on a deeper level, this frustrating component became my favorite part. It is astounding that our bodies are able to function as they do and I can now appreciate the complexity and adaptations of the metabolic pathways and signaling cascades. If metabolites had one strict pathway, we would not be able to regulate ourselves efficiently to maintain homeostasis, negative feedback is essential for plasticity. Learning to accept that there is not usually a black and white answer or a single straight path in medicine has helped me to adapt my learning strategies, turn frustration into appreciation, and grasp material at a deeper level more quickly than I have ever have before. 

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