Edwin Bennett, a senior majoring in biochemistry, has tutored children in math, presented at a biology academic conference, volunteered at local hospitals, and even found time to build homes in Mexico with Amor Ministries. Next Stop: UCLA's School of Dentistry on a full-tuition scholarship.
Biochemistry
Yorba Linda, CA
During my first semester at Whittier College, I became an instructor at Mathnasium, a tutoring facility that specializes in mathematics. In just one year, I was promoted to lead instructor and was responsible for tutoring students in elementary mathematics to calculus, tailor-making prescriptive learning plans for the students, and handing the sales with potential clients. Partway through my time at Mathnasium, I began teaching LEGO Mindstorms Robotics through a company called Bricks 4 Kidz. My classes were based on instructional material about concepts of friction, gravity and torque, scale, gears, axles and beams.
During my sophomore year, I began conducting research with Dr. Priscilla Bell and a team of chemistry students, including Brian Phung ’14, Aaron Ahn ’14, and Hyesoo Kim ‘17. Our research was focused on determining the fungal and bacterial inhibition capabilities of various herbs. Later on we presented our research at the 2014 Experimental Biology Conference in San Diego, California. In the summer before my senior year, I spent three months conducting biochemistry research with Christopher Turcios ’16 and Dr. Devin Iimoto. Our goal was to test the ability of a fibrinolytic enzyme from the Florida Cottonmouth snake to remove blood clots, specifically for stroke patients. In my senior year, I was a teaching assistant for Dr. Christina Bauer in the general chemistry lab sessions. It was a rewarding experience to help students with compound synthesis/analysis and equipment management.
In terms of community service, I spent one semester as a main post-anesthesia care unit (PACU) volunteer at St. Joseph Hospital of Orange and another semester as a Hematology/Oncology Volunteer at Children’s Hospital of Orange County. In both positions, I was able to contribute by assisting nurses with the call system, buddying with patients in their rooms or the play rooms, discharging patients, and directing visitors to certain areas. Furthermore, I have been a member of North Orange Christian Church for about two years. In that time, I have built homes in Mexico with Amor Ministries, helped provide food and clothing to the nearby communities, and participated in children’s events such as vacation bible school.
I am grateful to have received numerous awards during my undergraduate career. During my freshman year, I received a John Greenleaf Whittier Scholarship. During my junior year, I received the Emil A. Buehler M.D. Scholarship from Whittier College and the Raymond Sandberg Scholarship from a Swedish cultural organization called the VASA Order of America. All of these scholarships have made my education financially feasible and have inspired me to give back to undergraduate students in the future. My first academic award at Whittier College was making the Dean’s List, an award I have continued to receive throughout my four years. In the spring of my junior year, I was selected to be a member of the Nu Mu Rho Chemistry Honor Society. This past semester, I was honored to receive the W. Roy Newsom Award, which is given to one student as selected by the professors of the chemistry department, and I was selected for the U.S. Army Health Professions Scholarship Program. Last summer, I took the Dental Admission Test and scored in the 98th percentile, which augmented my application to dental school immensely.
My favorite class was biophysical chemistry, which is taught by Dr. Christina Bauer. This is an incredibly challenging course that requires physical chemistry and calculus II as prerequisites just to enroll in the class! That being said, there were only five people in my class. Overall, I learned about thermodynamics, kinetics, and statistical mechanics as they relate to biological systems, such as the human body. Furthermore, this material increased my ability to tutor high school and college students in chemistry.
My favorite place to study was in the study rooms located in the Wardman Library. These rooms provided both a quiet place to study as well as a white board to review concepts with classmates.
My two favorite professors are Dr. Devin Iimoto and Dr. Christina Bauer, who I took for biochemistry and physical chemistry respectively. Additionally, I conducted biochemical research with Dr. Iimoto and I was a teaching assistant for Dr. Bauer in the general chemistry lab sessions. By taking both of their chemistry courses together, I was able to gain a well-rounded understanding of the field of chemistry. Dr. Iimoto and Dr. Bauer have continued to encourage me and support my academic career from the first day of meeting each of them. In terms of my undergraduate career and personal growth, I wouldn’t be where I am today without their dedication and guidance.
When I have free time, I enjoy practicing the piano and the guitar. I also like to spend time with my friends by going to places such as the beach and hiking trails. Lastly, I enjoy playing soccer, tennis, billiards, ping-pong, and swimming.
Every summer, I go on a week-long trip with my friend’s family to Lake Powell, Utah. On this trip, we go canoeing and boating, as well as riding motor bikes and ATVs. One year, my friend and I were riding ATVs in the dunes, when I jumped off a small cliffside. In doing so, I ended up getting trapped between the cliffs I had just jumped from and a drop into the river below me. On the other side of this drop was land that would allow me to double-back to my friend or return to our campsite. Regrettably, I pressed down the throttle as hard as I could; fortunately, I jumped to the other side successfully. The moral of the story is that I won’t do something as dangerous as that again!
After graduation, I will move to Westwood, Los Angeles where I will be enrolled in the 4-year doctor of dental surgery program at the UCLA School of Dentistry. Moreover, I will have a full-tuition scholarship, monthly stipend, and sign-on bonus from the U.S. Army Health Professions Scholarship Program. With this scholarship, I am currently a U.S. Army officer in the rank of second lieutenant and I will be promoted to the rank of captain upon graduating from dental school. Then, I will serve for four years on active duty as a dental officer in the U.S. Army Dental Corps. After my service obligation is complete, I plan on opening my own dental office as well as teaching part-time as a professor at the UCLA School of Dentistry.
The one Whittier experience I’ll always remember is when I had the opportunity to attend the 2014 Experimental Biology Conference in San Diego, California. This was an incredible learning experience to present research to scientists from around the world and to educate myself on existing research in different fields of biology. Not only that, but it was fun to be able to explore parts of the city and try many types of food with my classmates.
