Aja is a freshman at the University of Pennsylvania planning to double major in Linguistics and Cognitive Science. Since Aja’s main role will be getting to know all of you, who you are and what you think of the program, we thought it only fair to ask her a few questions first.
CORE: What’s your major and what made you want to study that field?
AJA: I am intending on double majoring in Linguistics and Cognitive Science. I love that linguistics combines scientific study and observation with a unique element of social consciousness that is not present in many other fields. Cognitive Science is more interdisciplinary, and combines many of my interests, including biology and psychology.
CORE: What made you want to go to college?
AJA: Neither of my parents went to college, but I knew that college was something I definitely wanted to do. I am passionate about learning and I have always endeavored to understand how the world works. I didn’t want my education, both in the traditional and cultural sense, to end with high school.
CORE: What interested you about working at CORE?
AJA: CORE helps students like me. As a First Generation Low Income student and QuestBridge scholar, I identify and empathize with the students that CORE serves. I want to help to students from backgrounds similar to mine reach their goals of attending and succeeding in college.
CORE: What is helping you to be successful right now? (Could be anything, a person, an object, a practice, hobby)
AJA: I recently discovered bullet journaling and it has helped me to stay organized. Bullet journaling is similar to keeping a traditional planner, but it allows more room for personalization and reflection. I primarily use it to keep track of my goals and schoolwork. It also works as a creative outlet to relieve stress.
