A Look Ahead for Graduating Senior: “Nobody normal does anything exciting.”
Vincent, Graduating Senior, CB South
As senior year comes to a close, I often find myself thinking about how so many adults in my life have told me to make a difference in the world. As a child, the most reasonable way to do this seemed to be to become an astronaut-firefighter-forensic-superhero. But as I grew older, I began to realize how daunting this task was.
How could I make a difference in this world? How big of a difference do I have to make? What could I do that would make a difference?
At first, it was forensics: psychology or pathology, or CSI, or anything in the field. This was mostly because of my favorite TV shows - Gotham and The Flash. Edward Nygma, aka the Riddler, was my favorite character in Gotham, and he did a lot of things in forensics. The Flash, aka Barry Allen, was a forensic scientist, too, which meant it was possible to be a forensic superhero. For an eighth-grade public speaking project, I gave a presentation on the types of serial killers. That may have been where the weird kid status solidified for me. But hey, nobody normal does anything exciting.
Later, nuclear engineering, radiology, nuclear physics, and so much more became my life. I couldn’t decide which one was more interesting. Sometimes, I couldn’t find books on forensics, but I found books on Chernobyl. Both of these topics may or may not have prompted the librarian to tell me to my face that I was a creepy little child. As I got older, nuclear engineering seemed a natural fit for me. I became known as the “guy obsessed with nuclear” by friends and schoolmates unlucky enough to mention nuclear power plants or radiation in my presence.
As I became more serious about nuclear engineering, I looked for internships or anything I could possibly do to get my hands in the field a bit more than others. As you might expect, there weren’t many opportunities for middle schoolers or high schoolers, except for one: the Young Investigators Summer Program (YISP) hosted by NC State University.
YISP is a three-week program that provides a hands-on experience in nuclear engineering to graduating high school seniors. Not only did this give us more experience than others, but it also connected us with people with similar niche interests, companies, and professors with whom to work in the future. This was the final straw I needed to solidify my future in nuclear engineering.
Now I’m embarking on a journey long-awaited. I don’t have great powers like Flash or amazing riddle capabilities like the Riddler. I don’t need riches like Batman does. My path is long and winding, but the only thing I need is hope. My difference in the world may not be remembered by everyone, but I’m making it. Even a small dent in the world’s problems is something to be proud of. We need to believe in ourselves and take that risk. To take that leap in making to make a difference. Our future depends on us. We are the superheroes.