About Me
Academics
My name is Ava Fisher and I am a sophomore pre-med biochemistry major. I've grown up surrounded by the medical field my entire life, however it wasn't until the beginning of high school that I realized I wanted to become a doctor. Throughout my educational career since then, I have pursued a plethora of related STEM courses and discovered a love for chemistry which led me to decide on biochemistry as my undergraduate major. I believe pursuing this major will also be very beneficial as I pursue my education and career further to become an anesthesiologist.
Team Work
As a team member, I am a very effective communicator and organizer. I am able to delegate well to make sure all tasks are getting completed and everyone is able to play their part to their strengths.
My expiriences are largely what have allowed my to develop my teamwork and communication skills. Through leading and participating in groups I have been able to practice and refine these skills. For example, leading recitations and having to explain concepts to a variety of different people has allowed me to practice communicating in a wide variety of different ways.
My Experiences and Skills
PLTL Chemistry Recitation Leader
Since the Spring 2022 semester, I have been working as a peer-led team learning mentor for Principles of Chemistry I (C105) recitation workshops. This experience has helped me further develop my communication and adaptive problem-solving skills through helping a variety of different student work through chemistry problems. Talking students through solving problems in a way that they best understand has also developed my ability to collaboratively problem solve with others. I really enjoy problem-solving and collaborating with my peers and doing so in a leadership setting has been very fulfilling.
As of the Spring 2023 semester, I have begun working as a PLTL leader for Organic Chemistry I recitation workshops. This has allowed me to continue building on the skills I gained through leading general chemistry workshops, and apply them with more challenging material.
Women in STEM House (WISH)
This year I am part of the Women in STEM House living-learning community, which has given me the opportunity to engage with my peers who have similar goals and interests as me. Part of this community involves working to engage with the wider science community here at IUPUI, which is why I serve on the Marketing and Communications committee to distribute information within WISH as well as the science community as a whole. This experience has improved my ability to communicate on an organizational level as well as delegation of tasks. As part of WISH, I also had the opportunity to compete in Regatta this year with fellow WISH members. We ended up getting first in the cardboard boat race and second overall for the women's division. It was a really great team bonding experience and working together to steer the boat was no easy task, but a great example of collaborative problem solving.
Skating Carhop at Sonic Drive-in
From May of 2019 until August of 2022, I worked at Sonic Drive-in as a skating carhop. My job was to keep track of 8-15 orders at any given time, make sure all of them were taken out in a timely manner, and make sure all payments were collected, all while working on roller skates. This fast-paced work environment meant I had to be very well organized and be able to keep track of lots of different information at once. I learned to be very efficient in how I prioritized different tasks, and how to know when to step in and help others to keep everything moving smoothly. Additionally, I gained customer-service experience since I was the person that customers went to when they had problems or questions.
Roller Derby
I have been playing roller derby since 2019 when I joined Indianapolis Junior Roller Derby. Playing roller derby has really benefited my ability to communicate with others, especially in a chaotic environment, as well as my overall teamwork and confidence in myself and my skills. Along with playing roller derby, I was elected team captain by my teammates when I played on the JV team, which meant I also spent a good deal of time helping less experienced skaters with different skills and questions about gameplay. I learned a lot about what it meant to be an effective leader, and carried that with me as I moved up to varsity. Since aging out of IJRD, I have been playing for Naptown Roller Derby, which has had a large influx of new skaters. Because of this I got to help teach even more new skaters and learn more ways explain concepts and collaborate with them to reach their desired goal.
Previous Clubs and Organizations
GSA Club President
I was the president of my school's Gender and Sexuality Alliance for three consecutive years. This role involved planning weekly meeting, communicating with members, running a variety of different events, and working with the school administration for fundraising opportunities. I also had to make decisions on how to best run the club during the pandemic, such as having zoom meetings, working with hybrid schedules, and so on. Being the president of this club was a wonderful experience, and I gained a lot from it. It allowed me to break out of my shell to really engage with others and realize my potential as a leader.
PLTW Biomedical Science and HOSA Club
I completed the 4-year PLTW Biomedical Science program, which is where I gained a lot of experience in basic lab techniques such as gel electrophoresis, CRISPR, ELISA, PCR, dissections, bacteria streaking, and many more. Because the course was designed to be project based, almost everything we learned had a related lab or project that was usually completed in groups. One such project in my fourth year was a community outreach program, where my group partner and I organized and ran a food and essentials drive for the Julian Center assisting victims of domestic violence. Alongside this program I joined the HOSA club for future health professionals of America, where I competed in their annual state leadership conference. I placed second in the researched persuasive writing and speaking event, and third in the pharmacology event. I then went on to serve as the treasurer, where I managed dues, fundraising, and other financials to make sure that all club members could afford to attend these conferences. I learned a lot about independent project time management outside of a classroom environment, as well as professional skills through this conference.
