First Day
Maria Kulapurathazhe
The first day of school is something that I have always looked forward to for as long as I can
remember. Catching up with friends during lunch, writing on the first page of a new notebook,
trying not to look lost on the way to class – these are just some of the small things that make me
have a crazy smile on my face for the entirety of the day.
For obvious reasons, this past first day of school was like no other. After saying goodbye to my
roommates and the city after a fleeting six months as a college freshman, I returned to NYU
Tandon as a junior with eyes set on graduation.

Even stepping foot on campus again and exchanging small talk with classmates seemed surreal
after months of virtual backgrounds and disconnected Zoom chat messaging. With everything
around me seeming to have gone through a radical change in the last year and a half, I couldn’t
help but wonder how my experiences over the pandemic would manifest in the fall.
One of the few constants I had though this year was my time in the Montclare Lab. For the past
three months, I was able to fully immerse myself in the day-to-day activities of a bioengineer and
scientist. From figuring out how to analyze different temperature scans to running gel
electrophoresis and even growing used to the distinct smell of bacteria cells, the last few months
were a whirlwind of finding my footing in a field I am beginning to realize my growing passion
for.
Just as thrilling was being able to see everything I had learned in the lab come together in [...]