From the moment I visited campus, I knew Wellesley was the college for me. My journey to higher education has been, by no means, linear. Being raised a gram-negative, facultative anaerobic, rod-shaped, coliform bacteria, I knew most bacterium like me don’t even get to dream about university.
My high school was enormous –– the large intestine of a purebred German Shepherd is not the easiest place to grow up. Between dodging natural (and unnatural) disasters, acid rain, and trying to get enough APs, I was dealt a rough hand. My mom –– the slightly older bacteria cell that I split from in binary fission –– used to always remind me that I was lucky to grow up in such a diverse biome surrounded by different kinds of bacteria. She told me to keep my hopes up; there was always the chance that I would be the next one to be excreted. Then, finally, my big day came.
I was up late studying for APUSH when I felt THE PUSH. Suddenly I was sliding down the large intestine and out the anus of my home. Landing in a large vessel of water, I was scared but mostly I was excited. Where had I ended up? What were all these smells? Did this mean I didn’t need to turn my essay in? It was at that moment that I began to realize I was in Well #1.
The diversity of fungi and bacteria within the Well was astounding. Not only were there E. Coli cells from a variety of animal fecal backgrounds, but there were bacteria of every shape, color and size. I met so many brilliant and self-starting individuals who hailed from a plethora of other colonies, including COVID, Zika and even the first-ever gonorrhea-chlamydia hybrid! I no longer felt like I was trapped. Getting to visit Well #1 infected me with motivation and inspiration.
If accepted to Wellesley, I’d love to take advantage of classes like “Poisoning the Wells: from Leprosy to Turning the Frogs Gay” and “Asexual Reproduction: Representation in Media & Politics” to explore the intersectionality of my intended double major in Biochemistry and Women & Gender Studies. With access to incredible biodiversity and a limitless world of academic interests, Wellesley would grant me the ability to pursue my dreams and use my education to give back to my community. As the motto says, Non Ministrari sed Ministrare, and I intend to adMINISTER diarrhea to as many Political Science and Economics double majors as possible. Viva la revolución.
