ATLANTA — As a student at the Gwinnett School of Mathematics, Science and Technology, Presidential Scholar Niti Jani discovered a passion for research. The opportunities for undergraduate research at Georgia State University appealed to her as she began looking at colleges. She’ll be majoring in neuroscience with plans to attend medical school after graduation.
Growing up, she dealt with a chronic medical condition and admired her family doctor as well as the health care team that worked with her.
“They really took care of me and tried to understand me,” she said. “That was an important influence on what I wanted to do in the future.”
In high school, Jani participated in an internship program called Med Academy which offered her an introduction to the medical profession.
“Our teacher taught a lot of practical skills, like how to take someone’s blood pressure and how to use a scale,” Jani said. “We also learned medical terminology, such as the chambers of the heart and how the blood flows through the body.”
The teacher brought in health care professionals to talk about their experiences working in the field. Jani was impressed by how multidisciplinary their work was.
“It’s not just biology,” she said. “A lot of different subjects come into play, like sociology, psychology, physics and math.”
Jani is hoping to secure a University Assistantship through the Honors College, which would allow her to be paid while helping to conduct research with professors and researchers in her chosen field. “I can explore my passion for neuroscience and learn about the entirety of the scientific research process at the same time,” Jani said.
To learn more about the Presidential Scholarship, visit honors.gsu.edu/the-presidential-scholarship. Students can now apply to both the Stamps and Presidential Scholarships, the university’s premiere academic awards, with one application.