I was born on August 21, 1992 in Los Angeles to Armenian parents from Iran. My family relocated to Seattle, WA and remained there for four years before settling again in Los Angeles, at which time I started to attend A.G.B.U. Manoogian-Demirdjian School. Here I remained through eighth grade and learned to read, write, and speak Armenian. It was in middle school that my interest in science was invoked, mainly because of the influence of my science teachers, some of whom showed great passion in their subjects. At Chaminade College Preparatory High School, I expanded my interest in science by forming various student clubs and even reaching outside the high school to my local state university, where I volunteered at a microbiology lab in my sophomore year. The next year, I started work at another lab, this time in organic chemistry, where I spent about a year and a half completing a project that had implications for breast cancer prevention and treatment. It was the success of this research that won me national recognition by the Intel Science Talent Search, a prestigious competition for high school seniors. This experience solidified my decision to pursue a career which would revolve around research. At MIT, I am studying biology and exploring other fields of interest. I hope to continue my education at medical school and eventually become a medical researcher.