ATLANTA — As a child, Presidential Scholar Puja Raol liked the tangible, hands-on nature of doing science projects. “In fourth grade, I did a science fair project on making bubbles out of carbon dioxide,” she said. “It was so cool because I didn’t know it could do that.”
Raol would go on to do more advanced science fair projects in high school focusing on environmental science topics like air pollution. She also became interested in medicine as she helped her father while he was undergoing dialysis.
“I could see science practices like dialysis being used in the real world to save people like my dad,” she said.
Raol shared her love of science with students that she tutored at Next Generation Focus, where she worked during her junior and senior year. “I was passionate about learning the why behind things, so I thought it would be cool to incorporate that,” she said.
She helped create science workshops that incorporated videos, games and pictures that would be engaging to students. They also focused on real-world problems like learning how to build stronger bridges or reduce your carbon footprint.
“A lot of the kids I worked with were low-income students like me, and I related to a lot of things they were going through,” Raol said. “It was amazing having the opportunity to be kind of like a mentor or older sister to them in a way. They asked really good questions, and they were so curious.”
As a first-year student at Georgia State, Raol is participating in the University Assistantship Program working for Claire Spears on a project that uses mindfulness techniques to help people stop smoking. That, combined with a class she’s taking called Scientific Perspectives, has convinced her to double major in neuroscience and public health.
“Growing up, I saw a lot of struggles that patients go through to get access to medical care, especially if they come from low-income families,” Raol said. “I’ve always been interested in science, but now that I’m in college, I’ve become more interested in health policy.”
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.