This month THE MJ PROJECT is excited to introduce you to Rodolfo, a student at The University of Alaska Fairbanks. He is truly a student to spotlight as he tackles a challenging academic course load with a positive, BE KIND attitude that we love so much around here.
Tell us a little about yourself and what you’re studying… My name is Rodolfo. I’m 21 years old and from Inglewood, California. I study Biology and Chemistry as my main majors at the University of Alaska Fairbanks; they are what my degree plan revolves around. Though, while I was expressing joy for all the possible AP exams offered during my junior year of high school, someone said to me, “You are going to have so much fun with the college catalog.” That person must have been a fortune-teller, because I know the UAF catalog like a best friend and so far I am more than halfway done with minors in psychology, physics, and mathematics (though there are many more minors I am planning to start in the future and eventually finish, like the Political Science minor I’ll start this summer!)
How do you get all that done?
It is difficult for me to think about all the work that would go into such a diverse degree. I carry full-time work and full-time school as burdens during the summer to mitigate costs. Tuition at UAF is set to resident tuition for all students every summer, so I stay here every summer and take advantage of the cheap prices for classes. In addition to my classes, I also usually work full-time in the summer as a housekeeper on campus. UAF is also a surprisingly cheap school and is cheaper than many of my in-state options from California.
I have so much love for all of the sciences, and I want to help people access these joys and wonders. I want to especially bring these trinkets of my fascination back to underprivileged communities where many people think that education is a dead-end and that the sciences are for people unlike themselves. As for Biology and Chemistry specifically, I am looking for a cure to aging. I enjoy life and want to continue living it as long as I can!
How did you become connected to THE MJ PROJECT?
The donor support from THE MJ PROJECT was so helpful at the beginning of the current semester when I was terrified of thinking about where my textbooks were going to come from. I didn’t know how I would cope with academic pressure. Not being able to follow along in class without reading the textbook beforehand would be difficult. Money was short and with my schedule I had no time to look for money.
THE MJ PROJECT came to my rescue when a high school teacher noticed a post I’d made on Facebook about looking for the textbooks I’d needed this semester. She pointed me in the direction of THE MJ PROJECT, and they helped me buy a copy of a required textbook for my Botany class.
The textbook has since nearly doubled in price, so I was saved a large amount of agony through their generosity. Had I waited to see if I could acquire the money for the textbook over the semester, I would have been shocked to see the newer price, and I would have probably just given up. I make a point of sharing the textbook with my group of friends in the class to spread THE MJ PROJECT love and maximize the happiness achieved from the selflessness of those involved. We even have an online document where we keep our communal notes.
What would you like people to know about THE MJ PROJECT?
Education is a powerful equalizer in our world, and access to it is vital for people seeking socioeconomic mobility. Though education can equalize, the access to education is not equal. Many do not have the tools to lift themselves up using their education, as they are now. THE MJ PROJECT helps to change that and make education more accessible and more powerful in its ability to lift people up. The disparity of wealth is a socioeconomic problem, and it is especially felt by people who have no access to wealth or access to only dilapidated institutions of education to begin with. Donations of any amount mean so much more than words can describe to people in college who worry often about their college payments and textbook costs.
Any cool science facts you’d like to share with us?
Here are some interesting botany facts about a specific plant: there exists a species of tree called gingko. This tree was cultivated by Chinese monks for about 1,000 years. The relatives of this plant were not so lucky, as they all went extinct. This plant is thought to exist today only as a result of being cultivated by Chinese monks. This plant is also the only known plant species to show dichotomous venation in its leaves. The veins of the leaves branch off into two and continue to do this many times until they reach the end of the leaf. Lastly, beware of the female variety of gingko. They are said to smell of “vomit and rancid butter”. This is a result of their fruit rotting.