Pioneer Academics

Family vacations led Pioneer scholar Anna, from Beijing, China, to her research concentration in conservation biology. Anna’s family loves to vacation on tropical islands. Anna started snorkeling when she was about eight, and did her first scuba dive when she was eleven. It was a sobering experience. She had been looking forward to seeing colorful coral reefs, but where she dived, the reefs were bleached. Over the next few years, she became increasingly interested in finding a solution for this problem, and she applied to Pioneer with this specific topic in mind. Anna’s first challenge was to find a focus for her research. Coral bleaching, it turned out, was too big. She decided instead to concentrate on the impact fishing has on coral reefs. “There are local communities that rely on fishing, it's such an integral part of their diet and their income. I wanted to investigate the impact on coral reefs, and how much destruction it actually does.” Her second challenge was to think about solutions in a way she hadn’t planned. Her professor had urged her from the beginning of her research to include policy making as an aspect of her research, but Anna wasn’t interested—until she realized how many of her sources mentioned that policies were integral to finding any solutions for this widespread, multi-dimensional problem. Now policies are integral to her paper, too. Anna’s third challenge was completely unexpected. “How do I manage to live with the new knowledge that I gained?” she asks. What about scuba diving, fishing, sushi? She found her new understanding of policies and the complex economic picture of fishing has helped her reflect on her own lifestyle. Anna is now studying biology and environmental science at Amherst, hoping the environment of a small liberal arts college will echo her Pioneer experience. In the video, Anna discusses why she shifted the emphasis of her research from hands-on solutions to thinking about policies.

Family vacations led Pioneer scholar Anna, from Beijing, China, to her research concentration in conservation biology. Anna’s family loves to vacation on tropical islands. Anna started snorkeling when she was about eight, and did her first scuba dive when she was eleven. It was a sobering experience. She had been looking forward to seeing colorful coral reefs, but where she dived, the reefs were bleached. Over the next few years, she became increasingly interested in finding a solution for this problem, and she applied to Pioneer with this specific topic in mind. Anna’s first challenge was to find a focus for her research. Coral bleaching, it turned out, was too big. She decided instead to concentrate on the impact fishing has on coral reefs. “There are local communities that rely on fishing, it's such an integral part of their diet and their income. I wanted to investigate the impact on coral reefs, and how much destruction it actually does.” Her second challenge was to think about solutions in a way she hadn’t planned. Her professor had urged her from the beginning of her research to include policy making as an aspect of her research, but Anna wasn’t interested—until she realized how many of her sources mentioned that policies were integral to finding any solutions for this widespread, multi-dimensional problem. Now policies are integral to her paper, too. Anna’s third challenge was completely unexpected. “How do I manage to live with the new knowledge that I gained?” she asks. What about scuba diving, fishing, sushi? She found her new understanding of policies and the complex economic picture of fishing has helped her reflect on her own lifestyle. Anna is now studying biology and environmental science at Amherst, hoping the environment of a small liberal arts college will echo her Pioneer experience. In the video, Anna discusses why she shifted the emphasis of her research from hands-on solutions to thinking about policies.

Pioneer alumna, Soraya, from Georgia, the United States, offers her advice for Pioneer scholars on the research process. Soraya suggested Pioneer scholars not be afraid of making mistakes, and instead view it as a learning process. Soraya continues to show her passion for the Pioneer community because for her, "Pioneer was my introduction to higher-level research and is part of the reason I'm considering pursuing a research project in college." She would like to encourage and share with Pioneer scholars in the same way Pioneer inspired her. She also found the Pioneer Writing Center very helpful because the mentor gave her very thorough and detailed feedback that really guided her on how to revise the paper. Soraya is currently serving on the Pioneer Alumni Advisory Board and is majoring in East Asian languages & civilizations at the University of Chicago. #PioneerAcademics #Research #Alumni

Pioneer Alumni Ambassador Felix, from the UK, did his Pioneer research in the research area of economics, focused on the digital economy of China. Felix says what he’s most proud of about his Pioneer experience is his perseverance in completing it. He had never done “proper research” before, and found it unexpectedly challenging. He felt a little behind in his cohort, and had difficulty narrowing down a research topic. However, after talking with his professor and his peers, he found the research question that really interested him, and then “it really took off.” Felix says the experience of keeping digging, not giving up, and just sticking with something difficult led to an amazing, rewarding experience, one that is a source of pride.

As more scholars begin applying to the 2025 Spring-to-Summer term for the Pioneer Research Program, we wanted to share some Pioneer application advice from Pioneer alumni! For the sixth episode of Pioneer Application Advice, we are proud to share advice from Pioneer Alumni Advisory Board members Gwen, Jeremias, Sierra, and Emilie. Check out the reel to benefit from their helpful tips for your Pioneer application! The final application deadline for the Pioneer Research Program Spring-to-Summer term 2025 will be released in the 3rd week of October, 2024. #PioneerAcademics #Alumni

Pioneer Alumni Ambassador Jehan Idsassi, from Maryland, in the United States, did her Pioneer research in the research area of neuroscience. Her research concentration focused on problems with the brain, which led her to her research topic on neurogenic diseases. In the video, Jehan defines a transformational experience as one that “changes you as a whole.” It could be as an individual, as a student, an innovator, an activist. Being open to a transformational experience is asking the question, “how is your current life experience going to change because of something that you know will come into your life?” In light of that definition, Jehan says that her Pioneer experience was “something greater than transformational, because of how excellent Pioneer is.” Of course it was transformational, on many levels, she says, and is an experience she will never forget. #PioneerAcademics #Transformation #Alumni

Before COVID, Pioneer scholar Abigail, from Fayetteville, Arkansas, would not have included education as a possible research area on her Pioneer application. Her experience and interest had always been in STEM subjects, partly because her school focused on them and partly because she was naturally good at them. However, when her mother studied to become an elementary school teacher during the COVID lockdown, Abigail was “almost doing it alongside her, because I was taking classes, and she was taking classes.” And, to her surprise, she became really interested in “the social impact of education, and how that can change the trajectory of students’ lives.” Nonetheless, when she was offered a place in an education and sociology cohort, focused on unequal education, rather than one focused on one of her STEM choices, “I was a little upset at first.” But she switched to feeling excited when her science teacher reassured her that “any research where you can do good is good research.” As it turned out, Abigail really enjoyed learning about sociology with her international cohort peers. “I was the only American,” she says, and learning about the lives of peers from other parts of the world was “really cool.” So was learning the vocabulary of their research area, as they began to know words for concepts rather than “taking an entire sentence to explain one thing.” Abigail’s research was a literature review that examined a failed educational policy and made a recommendation for rewriting it. Before her Pioneer experience, Abigail was convinced that her career path led directly to medical school. That may still happen, but now she understands that instead of just helping individuals feel better, she could help develop new medicines, or have an impact on public health policies—ideas she will explore as an undergraduate at Princeton. In the video, Abigail describes a personal experience in elementary school that helped her think about a research topic focused on unequal education.

Before COVID, Pioneer scholar Abigail, from Fayetteville, Arkansas, would not have included education as a possible research area on her Pioneer application. Her experience and interest had always been in STEM subjects, partly because her school focused on them and partly because she was naturally good at them. However, when her mother studied to become an elementary school teacher during the COVID lockdown, Abigail was “almost doing it alongside her, because I was taking classes, and she was taking classes.” And, to her surprise, she became really interested in “the social impact of education, and how that can change the trajectory of students’ lives.” Nonetheless, when she was offered a place in an education and sociology cohort, focused on unequal education, rather than one focused on one of her STEM choices, “I was a little upset at first.” But she switched to feeling excited when her science teacher reassured her that “any research where you can do good is good research.” As it turned out, Abigail really enjoyed learning about sociology with her international cohort peers. “I was the only American,” she says, and learning about the lives of peers from other parts of the world was “really cool.” So was learning the vocabulary of their research area, as they began to know words for concepts rather than “taking an entire sentence to explain one thing.” Abigail’s research was a literature review that examined a failed educational policy and made a recommendation for rewriting it. Before her Pioneer experience, Abigail was convinced that her career path led directly to medical school. That may still happen, but now she understands that instead of just helping individuals feel better, she could help develop new medicines, or have an impact on public health policies—ideas she will explore as an undergraduate at Princeton. In the video, Abigail describes a personal experience in elementary school that helped her think about a research topic focused on unequal education.

Are you curious to know insider information about the culture of different colleges around the world and what life looks like for students studying there? Pioneer alumni are here to share their stories with you! Learn more about National University of Singapore from Ziyue who is majoring in business administration and business analytics! Stay tuned for more snippets where alumni share their experiences and knowledge with you! #PioneerAcademics #CollegeApplications #UniversityLife #AlumniSharing #NationalUniversityofSingapore

Pioneer Alumni Ambassador Lucy, from China, did her Pioneer research in the research area of neurobiology. Lucy says she is most proud of having completed her research “from nothing to a completed paper all by myself.” However, she also knows that she was far from alone in completing her research. She is grateful for the help she received from her professor, and found the course content she shared with her cohort peers to be useful not only for her research, but also for her ongoing academic journey.