The Capstone Course Serves as a Sturdy Foundation for the Future
No project is complete without the finishing touch. A Christmas tree lacks luster without the star on top. A painting doesn’t shine without the varnish finish. A Concordia education is incomplete without a capstone course. As a chemistry major, the logical choice for my capstone class was neurochemistry, and I feel it was the perfect finishing touch to my Concordia career.
When I began my freshman year, I was set to be a chemistry major. I was good at chemistry and learning in lecture came easy. Neurochemistry was the first class I took that focused on independent learning, and it happened to be in my last semester at Concordia. I was initially nervous about the amount of biology at the beginning of the course but once we delved into the article analysis, it didn’t seem to matter as much.
While I was doing research at the University of Minnesota this past summer, the grad group I was part of had weekly “Lit Club” where they read current literature published that was similar to their research. I would sit through the meetings every Friday morning thinking that I would never be able to understand the articles they were reading. In neurochemistry, the articles were about the brain and signaling pathways of which I had no background knowledge. I learned that even though I lacked background knowledge, I was still able to understand the general message of each article on my own. It gave me hope that when I am part of a grad group in grad school, I will be able to understand the articles on my own and be able to contribute to the group discussion.
However, this is not the only reason this course has prepared me for the future. It has also taught me to enjoy reading articles of current research findings. Reading articles for class has seemed like a chore in the past, but for neurochemistry, I looked forward to reading about diseases and how altered brain functions resulted in signs and symptoms. I can apply this new enjoyment to my future by continually learning about new scientific discoveries.
As my time at Concordia comes to a close, I have looked back at everything I have learned along the way. Not only have I learned necessary chemistry knowledge, but I have now also learned how to apply my knowledge and continue learning on my own.
I truly believe that this capstone course was the perfect finishing touch on my Concordia education. Learning how to continue learning on your own, for scientists at least, I think is crucial to being a successful scientist. I look forward to my future and learning even more about subjects that I love.
The Capstone Course Serves as a Sturdy Foundation for the Future
