I began this program studying the reasoning for the uses of anabolic steroids. Being that I was unable to obtain the data I wished to collect, my topic appeared to be a dead end. I was never a STEM based student, so finding another topic I wasnt confortable with seemed daunting. I was scrolling through my intsagram feed when I came across this image of an empty Kaufman Stadium. Home to the Kansas City Royals, this friday night game versus one of the most competive and exciting teams in baseball at the time, was virtually empty. I was puzzled by the complete lack of interest of fans to attend games, and wanted to investigate why. I showed Dr. Schuchman the image, and he completely encouraged me to investigate the issue with attendance at games. 

This spring, Dr. Schuchman challenged us to complete research on a broad topic, giving us the freedom to narrow our scope to any subject within a general assigned topic. I chose to focus on Neanderthals - more specifically the adaptations they made the further evolution into the human race we belong to today. Unlike the study I took part in, this research paper challenged me to dive into a topic more STEM based.

This fall, I will be attending the University of Texas at Austin as a Sports Management major. Throughout high school, I have been involved with various Sports Business and Marketing based organizations, and intend to expand on these interests at UT. I am extremely grateful for the Science Research program and Dr. Schuchman especially, and look forward to utilizing the skills I have learned while in Austin.