A book consisting of a collection of essays by Harry Davis is titled, "Why are You Here and Not Somewhere Else?" I often stop to ask myself this question. Why am I here and not anywhere else?
It might surprise you to say I wanted to be a Literature and Creative Writing major. Or wanted to be an English teacher. Or wanted to be a goat farmer. So, why am I here, at Seton Hill, pursuing a double major in Forensic Science and Biology? Well, the story begins in high school.
I was extremely fortunate as a young adult in regards to the teachers that encouraged me to pursue this field of study. I had math teachers encourage me to do something with mathematics, I had english teachers encouraging me to be a teacher. But among all of them, one man stands out in my memory.
His name is Mr. Cassano. He is brilliant, hilarious and encouraging, and I can say without a doubt that without his encouragement I would not be pursuing a double major in Forensic Science and Biology today. His classes utterly fascinated me. He was so passionate about telling us all about nearly every single random tidbit of information he knew. Being in his class was an immense joy for me. I looked forward to his class every day, and often chatted with him afterwards. Such a bright light in an otherwise dismal high school experience (but that is a story for another day). Not only was he someone that I strived to be, he helped me believe I could be everything he was and more. He never did anything but encourage me, help me and fuel my love for science.
So, with his encouragement and the help of my parents, I decided to go to school to be in a STEM (science, technology, engineering, and math), field. It didn't really phase me that women in STEM may be a bit in the minority, because with my support system, gender was never an issue. And thus far, I've been pretty lucky as to not encounter any sexism regarding the STEM field. But being science major is no easy feat, and there are a few inspirations I draw upon to keep me going.
The main one I will mention here is my fellow women in science. There is an incredible amount of young women pursuing degrees in science here at Seton Hill, and they continue to amaze me every day. I have female friends with whom I sit in class and am utterly amazed at their knowledge. I watch other girls my age in lab do techniques so effectively and eloquently. It is not that I do not believe in my own abilities, my own intelligence, but it is that they inspire me to keep trying every day. I may be the only one who feels this way, but all my fellow females in STEM majors feel like sisters to me. We women in STEM have to stick together, and prove to ourselves, not anyone else, that we belong in these fields.
