Pointe shoes and lab goggles do not exactly go hand in hand, but Lauren Choy’s past career aspirations of becoming a ballerina contributed towards her new goals in the field of biology. Choy’s path from dancer to “woman in STEM” was first inspired by her experiences in physical therapy after suffering a hip injury.
“I became interested in how the body works because, being a dancer, your body is your instrument. Being able to look at the science behind it, that’s where my passion for STEM came about,” Choy said.
But prior to altering her future plans, Choy dedicated her time to ballet, working towards becoming a professional dancer.
“It was addictive,” Choy said. “The routine of going to classes every day and rehearsals every weekend, it became so known and was something that felt very comfortable. [My ballet studio] became my second home.”
Though much of her energy was channeled towards dance during this time, Choy still excelled in school as well. According to junior Katelyn Kang, Choy’s cousin, “she was able to balance it and make it work.”
However, after attending a few summer intensives, which are pre-professional ballet training programs, Choy’s goals shifted from wanting to pursue ballet to other prospects.
“I felt like I had to pivot pretty fast going into the second half of junior year because I realized that I needed to go to college now. I felt very behind post-sophomore year,” Choy said.
Walking away from her ballet summer camps, Choy not only learned that ballet was not the path for her, she also learned the value of a good teacher.
“I was only [at the Joffrey Summer Intensive] for five weeks, and the teachers made an effort to get to know us. Their critiques, I could tell that they came from a genuine place,” Choy said. “They just want you to be better.”
Outside of dance, Choy had more student-teacher experiences that solidified her value in personal relationships.
“My AP [Language] teacher, Ms. Variz, genuinely gave me so much constructive feedback, all to help me achieve the highest grade possible. She was so personal, which was similar to what happened at ballet,” Choy said.
Choy’s relationships with her teachers shaped the way she would interact with her peers, especially with her cousin Kang.
“100 percent, she is my mentor and role model. But with Lauren, it’s not your classic mentor-mentee relationship where the mentor is talking the whole time and the mentee is listening and trying to absorb the information,” Kang said. “It’s truly just a natural, friendship dynamic, where she has guided me as a mentor, a family member and a friend.”
While injured, Choy didn’t just realize her love for STEM but also found interest in the relationship dynamics she observed, which further opened interest in STEM-based prospects.
“I started shadowing my dance physical therapist because I wanted to see if that was something I wanted to do. I was very interested in the patient-physician relationship, diagnosing and knowing what exercises to prescribe,” Choy said. “I broadened it out with biology.”
Choy leaves for UC Berkeley in the fall, planning to major in molecular and cell biology. With biology, Choy hopes to carry the value that she has found in personal relationships into the fields of biotech or research.
“With biotech and research, you’re creating new medicines and cures to diseases that will help so many people. I feel like I’d have a bigger influence and impact in the biotech research field because I’m not working with one person at a time,” Choy said. “Realizing how big of an impact relationships can have in every field, school, ballet, work, everything, reinstated for me that I want to have that impact on someone. There are such great coaches and teachers out there that I have worked with, and I want people to [be able to feel equally impacted] in their time with me.”