I started UAB confused. I missed my family, I was not very interested in the major I had declared at orientation, and I did not know how to get involved or what I should be doing to prepare for my future. In the first few weeks of school, I made a few friends who were in the Undergraduate Neuroscience Program and I knew I had to look further into it. I had always been interested in the brain and how it worked, but I had never seriously considered studying it in college. After meeting with the director of the program, who told me about the fascinating classes, research, and opportunities the major allowed, I knew I had to be a neuroscience major.
![Briana Miller](/cas/news/images/Briana-Miller.jpg)
The summer after my freshman year, with the help of the UNP, I began working in the neurobiology lab of Dr. Harald Sontheimer under the mentorship of Dr. Stefanie Robel. I had never held a pipet before, let alone been in a real research environment, and I was overwhelmed to say the least. However, Dr. Robel and the other postdocs and graduate students in the lab were very patient and encouraging and taught me what I needed to know. Soon, I was working on my own project researching the effects of repeated mild traumatic brain injuries on the glial cells in the brain.
While I loved my courses dealing directly with the brain and having the opportunity to participate in research, I never felt limited in my studies during my time in the UNP. I had the flexibility in my schedule to earn minors in both chemistry and mathematics. I am also a part of the University Honors Program, which approaches education in an interdisciplinary manner.
Outside of the classroom, I tried to take advantage of as many opportunities as I could. I was fortunate to be able to serve as a Goin’ Green Orientation Leader, develop service and leadership skills through my involvement in Greek life, and organize community service projects with my honors program. I am also currently serving as the Executive Vice President of the Undergraduate Student Government Association.
Without the Undergraduate Neuroscience Program, my experience at UAB would have been completely different. I have been challenged in my courses to combine both scientific and creative thinking. I have been given opportunities to perform research with some of the best minds in science. Most of all, I have been mentored one on one by so many different peers, faculty members, and advisors, all of whom wanted to help me succeed. This is an experience I see mirrored in every student in the UNP.
I will be starting medical school at UAB in the fall, and I know my time in the UNP has more than prepared me for the challenges ahead. I cannot imagine a better environment to spend my college years.