FOCUS

How it started

What started as just a quest to fulfill an obligation turned into an interesting discovery. I discovered via the new student checklist that all first year students had to take an A&I Course. The checklist is something that I personally want to say thank you to Carleton’s Admissions office for because it really helped me track all stuff that I needed to do before move-in. It said an A&I Course was a requirement. I followed a link that landed me on a page where I found a bunch of interesting options but one stood out to me: FOCUS. “What is that?”, I wondered. I guess its name even call out on you to focus on it.

The FOCUS Colloquium

I took a step further to focus on FOCUS by visiting the FOCUS website. I found out it was a curriculum-based cohort program for students interested in science and math who come from groups historically underrepresented in STEM fields. That is literally me in fancy compressed words and so I had no reason to not apply. I applied and got in at the end of that day. This decision I can say for a fact is one of the best of the many decisions I have made for myself.

There cannot be Science without bonds🙂

In Focus, I got introduced to some of the wonderful people I have ever met in my life and I am forming some wonderful bonds. My academic advisor and our Focus coordinator are part of these people. They are mostly shoulders for all my worry about the classes that I am trying to figure my way around to make most out of and the same time the people I go to share the totally academic unrelated kind of topics. At the end of the day, it is either we laugh so hard about stuff or we create a strategic plan to do something or change something to the right direction. It is so fun and the most important stuff are bonds are being formed and knowledge is acquired.

Outside the classroom

FOCUS is not only about the academic and stem stuff that you might have seen from the website, there are other nice interesting stuff too. I do not know of all things happening in other A&I classes but I can proudly say that only focus has “Cookies and Convo” which is a weekly social get-together for all FOCUS students to eat Cookies and have fun conversations. We have a library-shelf full of STEM hard-to-get and expensive textbooks at our disposure and a wonderful coordinator who consistently keeps us updated on all interesting activities in mysterious ways 😊. FOCUS feels fun and helps form bond. Of course I find it fun because to me, it is always fun being in a space that allows you to work on something you love with people who love it too. Would you try FOCUS?

Agnes (she/her) comes from Ghana. While it might seem like a faraway land, the strong sense of community, the incredibly kind people, and the enormous number of trees at Carleton make her feel at home. Her love for science stems from her fascination with nature, as science finds an interesting way to explain the natural world. She is a member of the FOCUS Program.  When she’s not writing, dancing, or singing behind closed doors, you can probably find her engaged in conversation somewhere. She likes to spend time researching medical school and life beyond; that should tell you about her great interest in pre-med. While she continues to explore her interests, she has discovered a great interest for Biology, Chemistry, and CAMS classes at Carleton.