GABRIELLA VELAZQUEZ Hometown: Frankfort, IL College: College of Arts and Sciences Major: Cognitive Science Describe one of your proudest accomplishments. My proudest accomplishment at Lehigh so far has been succeeding in COGS 007, the Intro to Cognitive Science course. The course was very difficult for me at the beginning, and I failed the first exam. The class was filled with a lot of informational readings, which can be difficult for me. However, I worked really hard in that class. I would spend hours reviewing the material and meeting with other students in the class as well. I went from a 60% on the first exam to an 87% on the second. Lehigh’s strategic plan, Inspiring the Future Makers, is built upon the notion that “The way forward is not yet defined. The future is ours for the making.” How do you intend to make your mark on campus and beyond? I aspire to work in my own research lab. Lehigh is helping me achieve that by having many research labs that I can work in and get experience from. I am about to start work in the Carlisle Attention and Memory Lab, and I am very excited. I am hoping that working in this lab will solidify my dream to have my own research lab one day. A message from Gabriella: Thank you for the scholarships and financial aid that you have given to me. I appreciate them so greatly, as I would not be able to attend Lehigh without them. My parents can barely contribute money to my education, meaning I have to rely on scholarships and financial aid in addition to taking out many student loans. It is not that my parents don’t want to help; they do, but they are unable to due to our financial situation. All of their income goes into taking care of their children and themselves, paying the bills, and my father’s business. There is not much left over to help me pay for school. Your scholarship is allowing me to come to Lehigh and pursue my dream of becoming a scientist and researcher, and for that I am eternally grateful. Fun Fact: I can play multiple instruments fairly well, and I am self taught on the guitar, bass guitar, and ukulele.
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