1. My past, present work, and reasons related to my intended field of study
Based on our own background, education, and experience, we develop a sense of interest in
specific areas. For me, the results of those factors contributed to my strong wish to pursue graduate
study in Science and Engineering at Cornell University. All the more, I am found of my family,
children, art, design, and education as a whole.
Growing up with a Sicilian grandfather, I strongly identify myself with the Italian culture,
traditions, lifestyle, and state of mind. I have developed since the young age the same passion as
my grandfather did and I have followed his footsteps; More specifically I rapidly developed a
sensibility and love for shoes and craftsmanship, especially for French designers such as Christian
Louboutin . My grandfather was a well know shoes maker and craftsmanship in Sicily during
world war II and would help American people as he could. I was passionate about his stories he
would narrate me years later. He taught me what it takes to work meticulously, with indefinite
motivation and determination, as well as to pay undeniable attention to details and perfection, and
to constantly be curious about the world around us. That explains why I have started to start my
career in healthcare and start to work in a laboratory; To help find cures for people with disastrous
diseases such as cancera and to work in the microscopic field unto higher molecular and cellular
levels. During my undergraduate studies in Philadelphia, my drive for science has led me to begin
the Chemical Engineering program as a freshman at Drexel University, starting a new Biological
Track curriculum. I was in fact the first student at the university to enroll it.
Through Drexel’s emphasis on cooperative education and advanced research, I interned
Arkema Research Center from September 2005 to April 2006. My task was then to test the
procedures in the lab. I was asked to produce organic peroxides (such as Luperox), to purify, and
analyze them using various sophisticated instruments. I had then to study the effect of different
factors on the production of the Luperox by investigating a statistic analysis. At the end of this
experience, I had to prepare and present a 30-minute PowerPoint and talk to the company chiefs
of all departments on the project.
Educational objectives and career goal:
In high school, as I decided to pursue my studies in the U.S and because of my poor English,
I immersed myself in an intensive program that I designed myself. In the process, I found many
similarities between learning a new language and learning science: each system has its own set of
internal logic, and both can be better understood through memorizing theorems and principles and
by practicing them in context. Both language and science continue to evolve—they are truly
dynamic.
The culture I have earned through my childhood does not only result from my French high
school education, but also from a unique Italian and Moroccan Jewish community. Once in the
US, I have had to adjust to a new college, country, language, and culture all at once and I quickly
developed a certain sense of independence. But I am also a social person at heart. Science itself
contains this very quality I possess, namely the balance between the individual and society.
Science is a personal endeavour; each one of us perceives it with a unique eye, bringing different
insights and new visions to the table. My vision of research is an intellectual pursuit that relies on
the history of past scientists as well as those contemporary colleagues working right beside us.

2. This mix of individual and social elements assures us that we work independently at times, but
always within the context of others—after all, the point of scientific progress is to enhance the
life of one lone person and the development of civilization in general. This is what graduate
school is all about, being part of an intellectual community.
What appealed to me the most about my educational program was the unique
multidisciplinary program, which provides graduate students the opportunity to complement and
fuse new horizons of research. By applying their knowledge in science and creating new
artifacts, engineers involved in these fields can cure diseases and improve the well-being and
welfare of people. I have been strongly participating in clinical researches, and I am still willing
to be trained to become one among the future researchers who are needed for accelerating the
pace of scientific discovery and clinical innovations.
When I heard about the “American Dream”, I saw parallels in this dream to the scientific dream.
With science, we start with very little, and craft a vision for ourselves through trial and error until
we find the right path. Having overcome many challenges, both personally and academically, I
look forward to continuing my journey and making my dreams come true in education and to
teaching students their passions as well.