Shreya Desai - Neuroscience and Honors Co-Major, 2022
I would advise current Honors students to stay very open-minded. I encourage you to attend different workshops, organization events, or social happenings even if you have a hint of interest. You never know what new subjects or hobbies you will become passionate about and you will never find them if you remain close-minded.
Name, Major, Year of Graduation
Shreya Desai, Neuroscience (Honors) and Honors Co-Major, graduated May 2022
One sentence on who you are.
I am a recent graduate from Wayne State University, on the pre-med track with the goal of ultimately being a policy-influencing physician!
What were you involved in?
I co-founded and led Science Policy Network- Detroit (SciPol- Detroit), which is a student organization on campus that aims to properly communicate science to the Detroit public and state and federal lawmakers. What makes us unique is the fact that our organization is made up and run by a variety of students including undergraduates, graduate students, medical students, and faculty members. We have done a variety of work including meeting with lawmakers to advocate for health policies, holding panels about environmental health hazards, and leading workshops that train our members how to communicate scientific research to others.
I was also involved in a couple other student organizations including United 2 Heal- WSU, which had volunteers visit the World Medical Relief every weekend to sort and package medical supplies shipped to countries abroad. Likewise, I was an active member of Nu Rho Psi, the neuroscience society on campus that provides unique insights to careers in the field.
I was also involved in neuroscientific research in the THINK lab at the Wayne State School of Medicine. This is a neurodevelopmental lab that mainly studies the effects of anxiety and stress in children and adolescents. My responsibilities in the lab included participant recruitment, data collection, and paper-writing. These collective skills have taught me the importance of generating and publishing research to a broad range of communities because it initiates discourse and the creation of further research projects. Also, I especially enjoy conducting clinical research because it shows me how I can apply interventions that we study in the lab, such as exercise, to the greater metro Detroit community.
What class/professor (during undergrad) has shaped you the most? How?
Dr. Aaron Martin at the Honors college taught a general first-year honors seminar class that quite literally shaped my path as a pre-medical student involved in science policy. Prior to his course, I was never exposed to the reasoning behind policymaking, especially policies related to the Detroit community. The way that Dr. Martin taught his class required students to do field learning and hands-on preliminary research. Dissecting policies and developing our own innovative solutions was a great way to essentially train me in science policy and showed me that policy underlies any career path that I pursue.
Do you have any advice for future or current Honors students?
I would advise current Honors students to stay very open-minded. I encourage you to attend different workshops, organization events, or social happenings even if you have a hint of interest. You never know what new subjects or hobbies you will become passionate about and you will never find them if you remain close-minded.
Where is your favorite place to study on campus? /Where is your favorite place to eat near campus?/ What is your favorite thing to do on campus?
My favorite place to study is definitely the new STEM building. There are an endless amount of charging ports and table space, which is every student's dream. It is also typically quiet, with the perfect amount of white noise, allowing for a productive work environment. My favorite place to eat near campus has to be Prime Eatery in Dearborn because they have one of the best chicken sandwiches, and combined with one of their milkshakes it will provide you with the ultimate chef’s kiss. My favorite thing to do on campus is to find one of the many cafes that surround Detroit and get some productive work done.
What is a struggle you have overcome?
One of the biggest struggles for me, especially with my first year at Wayne State, was hanging out with friends. As a commuter-heavy school, I initially found myself struggling to have a social life with friends I met in the classroom. Once I began putting myself out there and became more aware of activities/orgs on campus and in Detroit, I found a wonderful group of friends who lived on campus, and that feeling of isolation I began with melted away.
How has your perception of Detroit changed since attending Wayne?
Before attending Wayne State, I think I honestly visited Detroit a total of two times. Now, I am way more connected with the city and those who reside in Detroit. Even after graduating, I still come to Detroit to work, to volunteer, and to hang out with friends. Detroit is filled with vibrant people, businesses, and activities that have exposed me to the true culture of the city. When I tell people I go to school in Detroit, there’s always a gasp or a bit of concern for how safe it is, but that is a perception that quickly changes as soon as someone actually visits Detroit.
How were you able to manage all your Honors requirements and extra-curricular activities while pursuing Pre-Med?
Balancing all of my academic and extracurricular requirements was difficult. I’ll be honest in that it took a lot of diligent planning in advance and required some sacrifices. However, I surrounded myself by mentors, professors, family members, and friends who encouraged me, assisted me, and provided me with a break when needed. If you surround yourself with a supportive community, it makes achieving the impossible a little more possible. Also, I attribute a lot of my success to Google Calendar. That thing is my lifeline. You can’t forget a meeting, exam, or workday if you keep yourself organized with Google Calendar and a bunch of accompanying notifications.