For my capstone project, I presented at Undergraduate Research Week the research that I have been doing under the supervision of Dr. Bob Goldberg during the past four years of my undergraduate career. I entered the Goldberg lab during the spring quarter of my first year, and have been doing research there ever since. My research in the Goldberg lab has been central to my development and education at UCLA, and is a culmination of everything I have learned in my major and minor. My research on the developmental processes of seed development used many concepts and techniques about molecular biology and genetics that I learned in my classes, as well as bioinformatic techniques that I studied in my minor. Through this research, I was also admitted as a scholar in the Integrated and Interdisciplinary Undergraduate Research Program, which gave me the opportunity to develop my skills as a presenter and a critical thinker. Overall, research has been the single most impactful part of my time at UCLA, and I am grateful for this opportunity to present it.

I am also grateful to the College Scholars program, for encouraging me to have a well-rounded experience at UCLA and providing a small community within a large campus. Through the College Scholars program, I took a number of Honors Collegium courses in a variety of interdisciplinary subjects that I otherwise would not have taken. I greatly valued all of  these classes for the opportunity to interact with professors and students in a smaller seminar setting, and for expanding my coursework for a more well-rounded education. This capstone project also allowed me to synthesize the work that I have done over the past few years, and present it to the greater UCLA community during Undergraduate Research Week. The College Scholars program also encouraged me to get involved with the UCLA community in ways other than academics and give back to the community with service work. I am proud of all that I have accomplished during my time at UCLA. Not only have I excelled in my academics, I have also completed my own research project, and participated in campus organizations that have allowed me to serve my community. College Scholars encouraged me to have a curiosity for a diverse range of subjects, which I pursued in my classes, and to strive for above and beyond. I am thankful to College Scholars, and UCLA, for developing me into the person that I am today.