Allie Parascandola

After taking Dr. Kosal’s LSC 101 class, I became a teaching assistant for BIO 181 and LSC 101. Being a teaching assistant for Dr. Kosal involved grading students’ work, giving feedback, encouraging and guiding in-class discussions, and helping Dr. Kosal evolve the course structure. The role heavily involved soft skills such as interpersonal communication, time management, problem-solving, leadership, and empathy. Personally, I developed a much stronger ability to speak in front of an audience and answer questions from dynamic and unique perspectives. 

Working with a faculty member can be very different depending on the person you are working with and what you are doing with them, but several things are true regardless. First, you should expect your behavior in their class to act as your primary character reference. From the professor's perspective, it is very understandable that they might not want to work with a student who did not put much effort into their class. Asking questions, going to office hours, and studying well for assessments are good ways to show that you are dedicated and engaged. Second, when you are looking to get involved, reaching out is a great way to get started. Finally, don't be afraid to go in without experience. Working with faculty members is a great learning experience for anyone, and professors are not expecting you to have much experience. Being honest about what you know and open to learning is the most productive way to gain the necessary skills. 

When working with a faculty member, it's important to make an effort to draw connections to your major and personal interests. You may not be doing work that exactly aligns with your career goals, and that's totally okay. However, nurturing translational skills and finding parallels can be very helpful. For example, when I was working with Dr. Kosal in LSC 101, not every topic we covered was pertinent to my career, but many of the analysis and thinking strategies were. 

Biology is a great subject to study because it is so vast. There are so many different fields of biology and so many different directions you can go with your degree. You will probably find that you will meet many people with biology degrees working in jobs that you never even knew existed. My goal is to pursue the human medicine aspect of biology and attend medical school to become a doctor. Learning biology will help me treat patients by illustrating the mechanisms of disease and treatments.