Bruce Hill, BS Kinesiology, Exercise Science Emphasis
Bruce was an AVID student in high school and used those skills to his advantage through college even after he joined TRIO STEM last spring. He enjoys fishing and working out in his free time and recently took his first college spring break trip to Zion and Bryce Canyon National Parks. Now, Bruce will embark on his post-college life, ready to explore a lot of opportunities in the kinesiology field; starting at Jack City Fitness in downtown Boise. He recently attended the International Health and Fitness Summit in Dallas, TX; read about it here.
Bruce is a first-generation college student, and in fact, will be the first of 8 grandchildren to graduate with his bachelor’s degree. Not surprisingly, his family is very proud of his accomplishments. Bruce overcame tremendous self-doubt with the support of his grandfather who said that “his entire life’s purpose was to make sure the next generation of the family bettered themselves.” Bruce felt the best repayment he could give his grandfather was earning a degree in his honor.
The advice Bruce would like to pass along to his TRIO peers is to trust in yourself. Bruce recalled that he, “did not feel like I was going to strive in the college environment. I specifically remember believing I was going to fail and drop out after a few weeks into my freshman year. Fast forward a couple of semesters later and you would find my name on the Dean’s List! Double down on yourself, you can make it through school. These four-five years will propel your future exponentially. I know you can do it!”
Gyandarshika Koirala, BS Biology, Cellular, Molecular, and Biomedical Emphasis
Gyandarshika was a TRIO student in high school in Twin Falls before she and her family moved to Boise when Gyandarshika transferred to Boise State two years ago. She is very focused on pursuing a medical degree and has spent many hours in the Morrison Lab conducting Parkinson’s research, as well as working and volunteering at medical clinics in town to help build her experience. Although she is not fond of heights, she met that head-on at a TRIO rock climbing event at the SUB and was successful in reaching the top of the wall. That sums up Gyandarshika.
Gyandarshika is proud of herself for being resilient as she worked to complete her biology degree. Her mom helped her remain optimistic and advised her to focus on her long-term goal. Gyandarshika’s advice to her TRIO peers is, “to have an open mind and take every opportunity to experience and learn new things. Sometimes we tend to get too focused on our degree pathway that we fail to see what opportunities are available in our periphery. Take courses on a wide range of topics and not just in your major. Also, reach out to get support from others, including advisors and professors.” She lived this advice; Gyandarshika attended nearly every TRIO STEM event this past year from sewing grocery bags for the food pantry (she became quite an expert sewer!), to the Exquisite Creatures exhibit at the Discovery Center, and rock climbing to name a few.
Her first post-graduate adventure will be a 3-month trip to visit family in Nepal where she will experience a different pace of life on the farm near the Himalayas. Afterward, she will continue to work in the Boise area and apply to medical school next summer.