My name is *-------* and I would like to get either a master’s degree in biochemistry or go to medical school if graduate school is not an option because the biological sciences have been my passion for a number of years. I am enamored with biology and chemistry and their unique ability to explain the world around us all. Nothing that I have studied in my coursework has been nearly as precise and clarifying as the biological sciences. No other coursework has managed to so elegantly explain the interactions between a wide variety of chemical compounds and the human body.

I have loved biology and chemistry since middle school but my greatest inspiration for pursuing them and more specifically cancer research is my mother. She had breast cancer in 2002 and while she subsequently made a full recovery, my maternal uncle in India was not so fortunate. It is for this reason that my current research interests involve working with Dr. *-------* of the *-----------* on cancer research regarding a protein called P-Glycoprotein (P-gp). This particular project deals with the notion that “old” meaning currently FDA approved drugs can be used as anticancer agents to decrease the activity of P-gp which is increased in ninety five percent of cancers. I understand full well that there are many people working on various forms of cancer research but it is my deepest and most passionate desire to help cure one if not all forms of cancer. Nothing would assist me with this desire more than the McNair Scholarship.

I would like become a McNair Scholar because of the opportunities such an honor would afford. I would highly appreciate the various invaluable opportunities such as being able to go to a research conference and visit graduate schools. The GRE preparation courses and leadership activities will also be greatly beneficial. The GRE preparation courses will help for when I have to take the GRE as it is a rigorous exam which tests critical thinking skills along with knowledge base and therefore any help with learning how to take the exam will be very advantageous. The leadership courses on the other hand will be incredibly valuable in terms of helping me to mature into my graduate studies in a well rounded manner. I am relatively well rounded in that I am a singer in a charity singing group in my home town and have been in leadership positions in the *------------* Club for the past two years as the Secretary and currently the President.

I am also very interested in the fact that McNair Scholars are able to go to a research conference and visit graduate campuses as nothing would help during the admissions process as much as a face to face contact with professors, the Deans, and my fellow researchers in industry. As a matter of fact, I have researched graduate schools with top Biochemistry programs and professors doing research I am interested in. Some examples include Duke University, Johns Hopkins University, and the University of Pittsburg among others. I am interested in schools of this caliber due to the fact that they have highly rated programs in my field of interest and equally qualified professors. After earning my graduate degree, I would like to work in industry and conduct research focused on curing cancer and that interest will most likely continue. Most of all however, I am interested in being a McNair Scholar to honor the legacy of all the victims of cancer and to try and prevent any future occurrences of the disease.