December '24 (6 monthly, 13 total)

Ho Ho Ho happy holidays to all and to all a good break!🎄 This month marks the end of our first semester. It feels surreal how fast it went by. I am so proud of myself and my classmates for finishing strong. Once we returned from Thanksgiving break, we all felt a surge of energy to complete our final days of class and final exams. Our study groups met almost daily. We decided to add a little razzle dazzle this time by ordering some pizza and studying at home. To decrease burnout, we rewarded ourselves with 5 minutes dance parties... andddd there may have been disco lights involved. We noticed that when you add a little fun, we were able to be more productive and retain more information. The GI/ Neoplasia unit was actually one of my favorite units. My research history is mostly cancer focused so it was nice to hear terms that I recognized!

After exams, I was able to help others reach their end of the semester goals. As a Xavier alum, I was able to connect with a friend who works in the honors department. A few of her first year students requested a tutor, thankfully in subjects I felt confident in. I met with the students in 2 hour intervals to prep for finals. The students sent me the learning objectives of their finals and I used AI to create practice exams. The students and I reviewed confusing topics and any questions they had. It was nice interacting with such bright future leaders! I just heard back from the students about their finals, all 3 are happy with their scores. Yay! Go Team:)