Anuhea Parker may be still in high school, but she’s already an accomplished science student. A senior at Kamehameha Schools Kapˉ alama in Honolulu, Parker is a veteran of several presentations of her research, both in Hawaii and on the continent. Her poster presentation won second-place awards at the AISES National Conference in 2017 and 2018 and at the Hawaii State Science Fair in 2017. She will compete again at the state level this spring.

Patricia Bancroft is a senior at Northern Arizona University majoring in biology and minoring in chemistry. She’s learned a lot, both in and outside class, including holding leadership positions in the AISES College Chapter. Here are some of Patricia’s tips on keeping that midyear enthusiasm

I’m the first in my family to attend university. Early on, my parents told me how much school would help me in the future, but I never really thought of going to college after high school. I thought I would find a job somewhere around Shiprock, N.M., and maybe take a few classes at San Juan College, a local community college. It wasn’t until my senior year in high school that two Teach for America teachers opened my eyes to my full academic potential. They challenged me in AP Calculus and Honors Chemistry and helped me apply to several colleges and scholarships.

When I was six years old, my older sister bought me a toy microscope. The first thing we did was prick her finger so we could look at a drop of blood under the microscope. 

I grew up in Eagle Butte, a small town on the Cheyenne River Indian Reservation in South Dakota. I’m Lakota from the Cheyenne River Sioux Tribe. My home consisted of my parents, four siblings, many cousins, and friends. My parents have huge hearts and always welcomed children into our home.

I grew up on the Hoopa Indian Reservation in Northern California for the first part of my childhood, then I moved to Karuk territory, specifically the Katamiin region, when I was in sixth grade. The town is very remote. Although the city’s sign says it has a population of 250, I swear I’ve never seen 250 people there before!

He was just looking for a part-time job while he finished up at Mission Viejo High School in Orange County, Calif. It was 2001, and Will Culver had heard that a local veterinary hospital needed kennel assistants. He started out walking dogs, cleaning kennels, and bathing various kinds of animals. When he turned 18, they promoted him to veterinary assistant — and before too long, to veterinary technician, then shift supervisor. “I always loved animals, but that expanded exponentially after I started working at the hospital,” he says.

Carlson Begay’s quiet confidence is probably his most prominent character trait. “I may be shy, but I think that my shyness has helped me. I’ve met just the right number of people, and I’m glad I met some people and didn’t meet others,” he says when asked about which qualities have contributed to his success. It’s clear that Begay sees a rich world around him interconnected with the people who support his achievements.

She’s just 28, yet so much has happened in the last dozen years that Marrissa Hellesen’s life reads more like a suspense novel. Hellesen’s story includes her leaving school in the eighth grade, earning a GED when homeschooling didn’t work out, and then nearly failing in college. The main theme in her life, though, is perseverance. She refused to give up, and she paid attention to the lessons life was teaching her along the way.

Sofia Panarella has lived in many places, from Oregon to Montana to Rhode Island, but regardless of where she lives, she is, and always will be, a Native Hawai’ian. Moving from place to place opened Panarella’s eyes to the differences in living conditions and services available to individuals across the United States. It was these differences that pushed her to pursue a dream she didn’t even realize she had: to obtain a degree in economics and public health in order to make real change for real people, wherever she may be.