I chose NYU because of my first encounters with the students here and the faculty. It ticked all my boxes to join an institution where I can be trained to be a scientist and the welcoming environment between the students, between the students and the faculty, was something that was very enriching to me. Each of us come with our unique background, you always have someone to give you a different perspective in terms of pursuing the signs or engaging in intellectual or relational conversations about various aspects of our work.

And like, one of the reasons I enjoy research is it either at its bare minimum or the basic level, it's curiosity-driven. We have a wide range of powerful instruments which range from transmission electron microscopes to cryo-electron microscopes. And these machines are wonderful. They allow us to view protein DNA interactions at a close to atomic resolution. For my project, specifically, I'm able to see the change in the dynamics of DNA on a set of proteins called histones. And I am studying how genetic material is regulated or made accessible in different types of cells, and how proteins that are the basic machinery in ourselves, influence genetic accessibility or genetic regulation.

I have a very good relationship with my research mentor, in terms of research goals in terms of professional development. He has been there and guides me through it, how to think like a scientist. And also in general he has served as a friend, especially when life happens as you're in grad school. We spend a lot of time as a cohort together, especially during our first year. And that's where you form one of your strongest bonds. We have an annual get together some glam party, there's also happy hours, events such as pumpkin carving.

When I'm not in love some of the things I like to do, reading about science history, spending some time around the city, and also going beyond the city to find beautiful hiking trails. And also I spend some time playing soccer. When I lived in the student apartment, it was very convenient, having to not commute to be able to do science on my own time. Living in New York City is very interesting. There is nothing that you can't find in the city. I, for one, liked to remain grounded in my cultural background, so I can always find Ghanaian food somewhere in the city. I really enjoyed my time as a graduate student here and that connections in terms of scientific pursuits and personal interactions, I believe will go a long way in my life and my career.