Honors Organic Chemistry

After seriously reconsidering my interest in STEM following a difficult first taking general chemistry, I would have never imagined years later enrolling in the Honors organic chemistry series. As a self‑proclaimed chemistry hater, my reasoning for enrolling in organic chemistry honors series was at first purely logistical. The honors organic chemistry series was the only way for me to meet my Interdisciplinary Honors requirements while continuing to progress towards completing my other dual‑degree without taking summer quarter courses.  

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From my very first day of honors organic chemistry, I knew I had catching up to do. Unlike most of the students who had recently completed the honors general chemistry series together, I was new to the group and returning to studying chemistry after a two-year hiatus. I felt grateful to remember the atomic number of oxygen, while my professor immediately launched into aromaticity - a concept that seems to have more exceptions than actual rules. In my other courses I was accustomed to quickly joining the conversation, but in this environment, I realized I needed more time to process and instead spent much of class listening quietly. This shift helped me better understand the range of information processing speeds that folks have which in turn has helped me become a better group mate. Now during group work I intentionally try to provide space for everyone to process the information at hand prior to starting a group discussion. 

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A few weeks into the quarter, after some tough weekly quizzes, I realized that my intentions and goals for this course would need to center personal growth instead of academic perfection. At the same time I had this realization, a Neil deGrasse Tyson video appeared on my feed which further reshaped my academic priorities. In the video, Tyson offers a piece of advice for college students that deeply resonated with me. He recommends students “take the hardest classes possible” and argues that a GPA isn’t what makes someone successful but instead the unique skillset gained through a challenging and intellectually stimulating course load. Although now watching this video back I realize that I didn’t hear him directly say this, I came away with an understanding that college is a safe place to fail, experiment, and test my limits academically. It is such a privilege to be in an environment where my learning is centered and supported by the amazing people in my life who want me to take on these challenges. Deciding to take and then continuing in the honors organic chemistry helped me recenter my values as a learner and academic priorates.

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While redefining my academic priorities, I was also pushed to take up space in ways that felt new to me. Entering a small cohort of about fifty students, none of whom were Black, was challenging me. I frequently found myself reflecting on the systemic barriers that keep students of color like me out of these spaces. I couldn’t help but wonder about the other brilliant minds on our campus that would have thrived in this environment like I felt I was able to. In eleven weeks, I learned an incredible amount not only about organic chemistry but also about how to study effectively, learn from mistakes, and connect material to topics that I’m personally invested in. This last aspect was particularly pivotal in allowing me to create a sense of ownership over my learning changing my perspective on a subject that I once dismissed entirely as boring. Now, as an “elder undergrad,” I find myself valuing the experience of rigorous learning over the academic outcome. I have since proudly made my academic decisions on the skills I want to develop and the challenges I want to embrace, not just successfully checking off requirements.