Sruthi Boddapati is a senior at Freehold Township High School. She submitted a research project to the Global Youth Institute (GYI) and was invited to the GYI as part of the Norman Borlaug World Food Prize. After attending the GYI, Sruthi was offered a lab internship at Tufts working for the USDA under the 2016 Wallace-Carver Fellowship Program. The Patriot Press was lucky enough to interview Sruthi about her high school experience, the internship and her accomplishments. 

Honestly, my love for biological sciences was the main reason I chose to apply. Now, I am able to say that it was one of the best decisions I ever made and I continue in the program not only because of my love for the sciences, but also because of my highly talented fellow classmates of four years, my outstanding advisor/mentor/teacher Mr. Ducey, and the countless opportunities I have been exposed to since freshman year (this internship is one of them!).

Last year, my junior year, a former student of FTHS named Ally came to our class to give a presentation on her own experiences in the GYI program. She had the amazing opportunity to go to Costa Rica through the international Borlaug-Ruan Internship and I couldn’t believe that a high school student could have such an experience prior to college. Similarly, I too wanted to partake and hopefully be able to integrate my ideas in the challenge that many global issues present. It became very clear to me that I wanted to make a difference and hopefully be able to embark on a journey similar to Ally’s.

My paper, as every other paper, was required to be a five-page research paper that would focus on one global issue, pertaining to one country. I was actually unable to focus on one global issue, so instead I wrote a five-step plan to eradicate all pressing challenges in Bangladesh, a developing country with an unbelievable amount of potential. I thought that while the paper did not exactly follow the guidelines, the uniqueness of it might be worthy of acceptance or detrimental in the long-run, but as you can see it worked out thankfully!

The experience is definitely, one of the most life-changing experiences I have ever had the pleasure of calling a memory. I went to this 3-day global youth institute event with the hopes of sharing my ideas with others, but what I actually ended up doing was learning priceless knowledge and ideas from students that came from around the world and our own country, and from these world-renowned delegates that sat with us in this formal setting. I got to meet the first female president in Africa, even! Their exercise and the overwhelming World issues debate on the last day of the program served as a foundation for my awareness of world issues today. In my particular debate room, there were two world-renowned scientists and the director of Cornell University and I had to present my paper to them! They offered me advice and encouraged me to develop my ideas and become as established as them. The amazing experience is ongoing, because now I have the pleasure of calling myself a Wallace-Carver Intern.

My reaction mimicked that of a child receiving an amazing gift, multiplied by a hundred. I was rather skeptical of my acceptance in the program, not because of any shortcomings in my potential but rather because it is actually a program for college students and because it is highly selective. Luckily, they recognized my activities and academic success and allowed me to participate as a prospective college student!

While my duties in the lab haven’t been clearly conveyed to me as of now, I will attend an internshipbased one week seminar on how to perform my duties effectively and what my role in the lab actually is. Although, considering that this lab at Tufts University conducts  research pertaining to nutrition and aging, I would assume that I would have to conduct a lab similar to their own.

Ultimately, while I do not know what exactly to expect, I do believe that this experience will give me priceless lab experience and continue to inspire me as the global youth institute has.

The Animal and Botanical Sciences Academy has given me imperative knowledge in the biological sciences and has even given me opportunities such as the Agriscience fair, countless career development events, four years with outstanding classmates and teachers such as Mr. Ducey and Mrs. Vannuaker, and the foundation to pursue more. Honestly, I doubt that I would have been even half the person I am today or even had these experiences with the World Food Prize, had it not been for this amazing program.

After the internship, I intend to pursue my academic career in the sciences in a prospective University of four years, with the knowledge that I have acquired through this amazing high school in general, the Animal Botanical sciences Academy, and the World Food Prize Organization. I ultimately also want to pursue a career in the medical field.

The best advice I can give is to never give up, although this is a phrase used often. Goals are only as tangible as you intend them to be, so strive for them with all the effort you can muster, so that one day you can look back on your life and your experiences and be able to say that you have no regrets. I think at this point in life, I truly have no regrets and have made many memorable experiences in high school. So I just have to say “thank you” to this school, all my supporters, the academy, my outstanding teachers along the way, and my amazing classmates. Ultimately, don’t leave the possibility of success to chance, make it happen.