Hometown - Houston, TX;

Major - Neurobiology, Philosophy Minor (if time permits);

Interests - Having fun, joking around;

Favorite food - Steak, pani puri, and other Indian foods I can't spell;

Favorite quote - "Be the change you want to see in the world." - Gandhi

For five, sometimes six, days a week for the entire summer of 2002 I would enter M.D. Anderson through the Clark Clinic entrance. Every time I would see people of all ages and walks of life getting admitted to the cancer treatment and research facility. Although I would spend only about 2 minutes at a time walking through the lobby and waiting for the elevator leading to my research lab, the 2 to 3 hours I spent in the Clark Clinic over the course of that summer had a meaningful impact on my life. Because every time I looked into the eyes of a child affected by cancer, I would see an innocence that is intrinsic in every youth. Although it was hidden behind a cloud of pain, every time the child smiled I would see that joyful innocence expose itself like the sun after a rainstorm. After I would enter the elevator leading to my lab, I would wonder: "What did this poor kid ever do to deserve this?" I haven't been able to answer this question, but have matured by asking it. Today, I know I want every child to be able to enjoy the innocence that is available to us only at an early age. I want every child to be able to spend time playing tag, running in circles, and eating earthworms. But, I don't want him or her to be waiting anxiously in the Clark Clinic lobby to set a schedule for chemotherapy treatment.