EVELYN RUSSELL REFERENCES

russell.eve2021@gmail.com

Mrs. Cheryl Schmiesing

School Counselor
Pandora-Gilboa Local School
410 Rocket Ridge
Pandora, OH 45877
(419) 605-3768｜schmiesingc@pgrockets.org

Mr. Lee Ruhe

High School Teacher
Pandora-Gilboa Local School
5068 Road O
Pandora, OH 45877
419-384-3225 x 150｜ruhel@pgrockets.org

Mrs. Sarah Schroeder

High School Teacher
Pandora-Gilboa Local School
410 Rocket Ridge
Pandora, OH 45877
419-371-9463｜schroeders@pgrockets.org
 Career Narrative
Precise, patient, and critical are all characteristics of someone who works well in a lab.
They are all characteristics of someone I plan to be. More specifically I plan on being a
Neuroscientist. As a Neuroscientist, I will be doing research and experiments in a lab. To become
a neuroscientist I will need a PhD, keep in mind why I wanted to do this, and have my “Plan B”
in the back of my mind.
Becoming a neuroscientist takes a lot of schooling and dedication. First, I will need to be
accepted into a college that actually has the neuroscience major, ideally, that would be Ohio State
University. At the university, I would need to complete my four years of undergrad and apply to
their PhD program. During the program, I would begin to focus on my speciality: cognitive and
behavioral neuroscience. I would get hands-on experience while earning my PhD and the actual
feel of performing real research. There are also many other reasons as to why I would stay so
dedicated to such a difficult degree.
My reasons for wanting this career are based on what I enjoy and what needs to change in
the world. My focus as a neuroscientist would be on better diagnoses for mental illnesses in
women. Things such as autism, ADHD, ADD, etc. are severely underdiagnosed in women and
adults and that needs to change. I want to be able to know how the brain is affected differently
between men and women and if there are tests we can create that allow for easier diagnoses. I am
also interested in being a neuroscientist because I love the brain and I love lab work. I want to
understand how the brain works and what better place to do that than in an awesome lab.
However, I am aware that plans do not always go the way you want them to.
Even if I cannot become a neuroscientist, I still plan on working in a lab. I will get a
degree in microbiology and immunology. This major is more common in schools and I will not
need to get a PhD; although, I would still like to get one. With this degree, I would still do
experiments and research, just not focused on the brain. I would focus on bacteria, viruses, and
vaccines. I will enjoy either major equally.
Overall, my goals in life are to work in a lab and make a difference. I do not need to
make a huge difference, but I would like to know I have helped at least a little. I want to be in a
structured environment I enjoy, with problems I can fix. Neuroscience or immunology, as long as
I am working in a lab, learning new things, and helping people I will always love what I do.
 Verification of Employability Skills
Interpersonal: How do you contribute as a cooperating member of a club, team, or small
group? Explain how this will help you in your future career?
For six years I have been a part of Cindy’s Tap on Wood competition dance team. Being
on a dance team requires a lot of cooperation, communication, trust, and synchronization. On our
competition team, we do a lot of stunts that require a combination of all those things. We need to
be able to communicate our readiness and do so silently. We have to learn how to read each other
and step in if another falls short. We have to do dangerous trust falls and trust that we will catch
the faller. When dancing you must also be precise. If you are half a second off or a foot in the
wrong direction you could lose points, cause an injury, or confuse your fellow dancers. And if a
conflict arises we must be able to cooperate with our fellow dancers and realize that no one has
the same skill set.
In my future career, I plan to be working in a lab and doing research. I may be part of a
team and in that team, I will need to be able to communicate and trust my partners. I must be
able to work well with my group. Being on a dance team has provided me with these skills. In a
lab, I must be precise and steady just as in dance. I will be balanced and sure of myself, my
colleagues and my movements in the lab I work in.
Information: Explain how you acquire career information and use it to assist you in
setting career goals.
For most, if not all, of my high school career, I have known I’ve wanted to work in the
field of science. That is a broad category, so to narrow down my options I started to involve
myself in more classes. I took the classes needed for graduation, of course, but I also took extra
classes. I took four years of biomed, anatomy, chemistry, and AP biology. By taking these classes
I discovered what did and did not interest me. I discovered that I was not a fan of chemistry and
although anatomy is interesting, it is directed towards future doctors. By taking biomed and
biology I discovered I like learning about the brain, microbes, and labs.
I did some research about jobs that involve the inner workings of the brain and microbes.
Microbiology, immunology, and neuroscience all became points of interest. I can now do more
in-depth research. I examined classes that would be required at certain colleges for those fields,
the job setting, job growth, etc. I also asked my science teachers what they knew about each
career and how they thought I would perform. I have the ideal college, major, and job now
planned. I still have more research to do and I tend to do that through job shadows and
trustworthy websites.