Navigation Menu

Showing posts with label The Why Axis. Show all posts

The Why Axis: Greta Gohring


Why did you choose your major? (Chemical and Biomedical Engineering)

"I became interested in medical research after my older brother had an injury at work. After undergoing seven years of surgeries and uncertain diagnoses, my brother has suffered from permanent nerve damage, dystonia and CRPS. He recently had a Cortical Stimulator, Deep Brain Stimulator and a Dorsal Column Stimulator implanted to help interfere with the electrical misfirings in his brain. Going through all of this with him has exposed me to the blind-side of medicine: nerves. Not only has my brother’s struggle inspired me, but made me open my eyes to the issue that damaged nerves has had on roughly 20 million Americans. It has become a high priority of mine to find a way to regenerate damaged nerves and tissues in the body so I can one day help people who have been living this debilitating life, like my brother."

The Why Axis Project is a manifestation of a larger concept I try to incorporate into my work. In my opinion, to truly understand someone, you must learn why they do what they do and not just what. The world of college gave me the opportunity to start this photo story by looking at why people chose their major versus just what people chose. This fundamental shift in thinking has allowed me deeper connections to those I met and photographed. Through this long-term photo story, I hope to share all the different answers to this question.

The Why Axis: Caleb Carpenter


Why did you choose your major? (Computer Science)

"I enjoyed computers and I had done a bit of prior programming so I knew I liked​ it and after the first semester I really enjoyed my computer science​ class so I knew it was right for me. Finishing a program is very satisfying like putting the final piece into a puzzle, all the struggle and hard times I may have had writing the program get taken over by the overwhelming feeling of achievement"

The Why Axis Project is a manifestation of a larger concept I try to incorporate into my work. In my opinion, to truly understand someone, you must learn why they do what they do and not just what. The world of college gave me the opportunity to start this photo story by looking at why people chose their major versus just what people chose. This fundamental shift in thinking has allowed me deeper connections to those I met and photographed. Through this long-term photo story, I hope to share all the different answers to this question.

The Why Axis: Molly Zartman

Why did you choose your major? (Applied Animal Behavior)

"Some people have a hard time figuring out what they're meant to do, what they're passionate about. I've been lucky enough to know my true calling my whole life. Animal behavior is practically what shaped my childhood and learning how to give a sustainable home took up my entire adolescence. I've never strayed away animals, and I don't plan to that in my schooling or my career. Animals are my passion and I hope to graduate able to make the world a better place for them."

The Why Axis Project is a manifestation of a larger concept I try to incorporate into my work. In my opinion, to truly understand someone, you must learn why they do what they do and not just what. The world of college gave me the opportunity to start this photo story by looking at why people chose their major versus just what people chose. This fundamental shift in thinking has allowed me deeper connections to those I met and photographed. Through this long-term photo story, I hope to share all the different answers to this question.

The Why Axis: Logan Roberts

Why did you choose your major? (Health and Exercise Science)

"I was born with Cystic Fibrosis, so I grew up coming in and out of the hospital every few months. Eventually, you'd think the hospital would turn into broccoli, and I'd hate it (it's not the most enjoyable thing to begin with), but I became super interested in the doctors and the medicine they were giving me. Because of these frequent trips, science became my new favorite subject, specifically the science of the body and how it worked on a deeper level. That's why I chose HES (Health and Exercise Science), because everything I learn from this major might help me better understand myself and my body, and help others in a similar boat I was in too."

The Why Axis Project is a manifestation of a larger concept I try to incorporate into my work. In my opinion, to truly understand someone, you must learn why they do what they do and not just what. The world of college gave me the opportunity to start this photo story by looking at why people chose their major versus just what people chose. This fundamental shift in thinking has allowed me deeper connections to those I met and photographed. Through this long-term photo story, I hope to share all the different answers to this question.

The Why Axis: Sam Fitzsimmons

Why did you choose your major? (Computer Science)

"From the (admittedly short) list of “things high school taught me before college,” I knew that math and science would always be a part of my academic life. However, from the (worryingly long) list of “things high school didn’t teach me before college,” I never really knew how I’d be able to apply my interests in the STEM field to an engaging and rewarding career. As such, I entered my college experience mostly in dark. After some (high-school level) research into the field of engineering, I blindly chose the one that appealed the most to me - Aerospace, thought process being, “space is cool, math is cool, sounds like a perfect fit.” However, after spending almost a year in the program, I’ve come to realize that space is still cool and math is still cool, but unfortunately Aerospace Engineering just isn’t something I could devote my life’s work to. It was a painful realization that I may have wasted two whole semesters of school in a major I was uninterested in, but overall the experience was still useful. In fact, being in the wrong major lead me to take a Computer Science course that I otherwise never would have signed up for, and it was in this class where I found my true passion for coding, and this time I knew for sure. Homework doesn’t even feel like homework, and I actively enjoy working on assignments that aren’t due for another three weeks. I guess I can’t really blame high school or my lazy research for me choosing the wrong major - some things you just have to experience on your own. I’m thankful for the realization and can’t wait to see where Comp. Sci. takes me!"

The Why Axis Project is a manifestation of a larger concept I try to incorporate into my work. In my opinion, to truly understand someone, you must learn why they do what they do and not just what. The world of college gave me the opportunity to start this photo story by looking at why people chose their major versus just what people chose. This fundamental shift in thinking has allowed me deeper connections to those I met and photographed. Through this long-term photo story, I hope to share all the different answers to this question.

The Why Axis: Janelle Isenhart

Why did you choose your major? (Biological and Chemical Engineering)

"There are two things I was completely sure of when I began looking towards my future. One, I want to help people with their problems and I want to make their lives a little easier. And two, I would make life a lot harder for myself if my parents weren’t happy with my career choice. Originally, I believed that medical school was the be-all-end-all option for being able to help people. I figured that I would go into the college of Arts and Sciences, major in a biological field of some sort, and go on to save the world. After all, two of my sisters are already doing the same thing. So, I thought, if they can do it, why can’t I? However, medical school and the process to actually get into it is hard. Like, really hard. My mom knew this so she proposed an alternative: apply to the engineering school and declare a major of Biological and Chemical Engineering. This way, I can get my prerequisites for medical school done as a lot of them will overlap with my engineering classes, and if worse comes to worse and medical school falls through, the odds of finding a good job with an engineering degree under my belt are in my favor. For now, it seems that engineering is the means that I can satisfy the two things I knew to be certain: I want to help people, and my parents need to be happy. I’m not sure where college will take me, if I will stay in engineering or the sciences at all, or if I will find my true passion and have the courage to pursue it, but I do know that I’m ready to find out."

The Why Axis Project is a manifestation of a larger concept I try to incorporate into my work. In my opinion, to truly understand someone, you must learn why they do what they do and not just what. The world of college gave me the opportunity to start this photo story by looking at why people chose their major versus just what people chose. This fundamental shift in thinking has allowed me deeper connections to those I met and photographed. Through this long-term photo story, I hope to share all the different answers to this question.
Subscribe to: Posts (Atom)