About Me

Twenty years ago, I was born, and my parents called me Erin. They wanted a good Irish name for me. Although others don’t typically call me anything else, I will also respond to the abbreviation people have created: Er. The only other nickname I have, which is used even more rarely, is a variation of my last name. I grew up New Jersey, USA, where I lived with my two older brothers and my parents.

From the years 1995 to 2008, I attended public school in my local school district. I enjoyed school because I loved learning, made many friends, liked my teachers, and performed well in my classes. From a young age, I loved writing and mathematics, but when I was in the 8th grade, I discovered a love for science, thanks to an excellent teacher. It was because of great teachers like her that I decided that I, too, wanted to become a teacher. I was firmly set in my goal to teach since age 12, but I never knew just what I would like to teach. In 10th grade, I took my first chemistry class, and although I convinced myself that chemistry was not my “thing,” I eventually realized I quite liked it. In my second-to-last year of high school, I became convinced that I would like to become a high school chemistry teacher.

I entered my last year of high school in September 2007. Throughout my four years at the school, which still remains close to my heart, I took as many challenging classes as I could and got involved in various clubs and organizations. The groups most important to me were the Pieces literary magazine, Science League, and National Honor Society. I was grateful to be able to pursue all of my interests and passions in and outside of class. Finally, my public school journey came to an end. In June 2008, I became a summa cum laude graduate of my high school, ranking 5th in my class of 758 students.

I began my university career in August 2007, as a science education & chemistry dual major at a private university in New York State, where I remain today. In a couple of short years, I have met many amazing people and learned a lot about science and myself. Throughout my studies, I slowly began to feel more like a scientist and less like a teacher, and this past spring, I realized that I no longer wanted to teach high school. The thought didn’t make me excited in the way it used to; in fact, I dreaded the thought of student teaching! As a result, I’ve changed my original plans, and I have decided to gain more research experience as an undergraduate and take even more chemistry and physics courses, in hopes to be admitted to the graduate school of my choice, where I would like to pursue a doctoral degree in chemistry.

Aside from chemistry, my passions also lie in literature and writing. My first love was unquestionably creative and personal writing, and I enjoy expressing myself in poetry and my blog. Honestly, if I could bank on a career as a writer, I would. Despite my current career goals, it is still my dream to write and publish a novel one day. I also love to read, and I am constantly inspired by the works of literary masters. My favorite author is Kurt Vonnegut, most notable for writing Slaughterhouse Five. He is witty, funny yet serious, and his work makes me feel quite sane, for some reason. I highly recommend his novels, among others.