Chadron Biochem Day 19 – Leyna

Dear Lovely SSP Blog Reader,

HAPPY FOURTH OF JULY!!! CA-CAWWW!! Today is America’s birthday, and honestly, what better day to celebrate than on Fri-YAY!? Hands down, today might have been the craziest and most fun day of SSP ever. It’s my favorite day, to say the least.

I woke up super excited for the day despite staying up until midnight watching Parasite with my girls (WHY IS THE MOVIE SO SCARY??). We also each finished our pint of ice cream—it was delectable.

Before heading out to get some work done in the lab, I grabbed a banana and cereal bar to eat breakfast on the go. Normally I wake up to eat breakfast at the dining hall, but dining services are off today since it’s a holiday. (Thank you Chadron staff for the yummy food! I still think about the cookies from C&C day…)

In the lab, we worked on preparing standard stocks of sodium phosphate for next week. I didn’t get to take a picture in the lab today, but I did get a fun .5x from yesterday!

I cannot believe we are about to enter our fourth week at SSP…I feel like I have grown so much, not just as a student but also a person in general. My cohort and I have faced many setbacks, but traversing through them all has definitely helped us develop some thicker skin. 🙂

After the lab, we headed back to our dorms to change and get ready for our FIELD TRIP. That’s right, field trip on the big 4th of July!

Before loading the bus, my friends and I watched another episode of Squid Games Season 3. Actually…I got a bit too scared, so I braided Olivia’s hair instead.

We went to Chadron State Park, and I was pleasantly surprised by all they had to offer (I’ve never been to a state park before)! Right as I got there, my friends and I went on a little paddle boat adventure. The ride was so serene; we played the song “Kiss the Girl” from The Little Mermaid hehe.

There was also a horseback trail ride at 1:00 PM, but unfortunately my friends and I missed the ticket cutoff time. I was sad at first, but worry NOT because my friends and I ended up eating lunch together and then heading to the pool! I’ve barely gotten to swim all summer, so this was very much needed.

At the pool, I jumped off a diving board for the first time ever. I was scared at first, but it was so much fun. I did a (semi-successful?) flip and made a silly attempt at diving. I call the flip semi-successful because the second time I did it, I didn’t back-flop (HOORAY). For some reason though, I kept flipping sideways…

We made a quick Walmart run, where I bought a new pint of ice cream. Who am I kidding…I bought TWO pints of ice cream along with some string cheese, avocado, and condensed milk (Have you ever tried the Vietnamese avocado with condensed milk dessert? It’s very yumalicious. I’m looking forward to making some for my friends and I!)

For dinner, our bus driver dropped us off at McDonald’s. I was so happy because it’s been such a long time since I’ve gotten a McFlurry. #NeededThat. Back in Texas, my friends and I would go to McDonald’s all the time after school to eat ice cream and fries. Today, I ordered the $5 Meal Deal along with the limited edition S’mores McFlurry. It was DEEEELICIOUS.

We went back to the dorm hall to rest and get ready for our evening activity: watching fireworks! My roommate Vinicia is from Guam, so this is her first time celebrating Independence Day here in the States. Of course, I had to show her how we do it here (I got us two light-up cowboy hats from Walmart YEEHAWWW).

We walked to the park near campus and ate bundt cake + a mixed berry cheesecake salad that one of my professors, Dr. Keithly, had whipped up. I don’t know how to describe it, but it was so refreshing and tasted like a strawberry smoothie.

We also made glow in the dark accessories and played with snap poppers and sparklers. It was so much fun. I tried to do those long exposure sparkler photos, but it didn’t work out too well LOL.

Afterwards, we hiked up to the big C on the hill that overlooked the entire city of Chadron. It was breathtaking seeing the fireworks followed by lightning. At one point, I couldn’t tell if the loud booms were from fireworks or thunder! The weather forecast said that it wouldn’t rain until midnight, but boy were we in for a surprise. We were only on the C for a few minutes when suddenly rain came pouring down on us. It was exhilarating and honestly felt like a fever dream. The wind was blowing fiercely, and I could still see and hear these whistling green fireworks; it felt like I was in Harry Potter, the scene where the Dark Mark appeared in the sky LMAO.

We made it back to the dorms at around 10 PM. Thankfully, no mountain lions chased us in the rain!! Needless to say, we were completely DRENCHED. This was most definitely a night to remember! Best 4th of July EVER.

Although Chadron weather appears to be bipolar, I am often taken aback by the beauty of it all. This small town is so quaint and picturesque, very different compared to my hometown city of Houston. The sunset, the fireworks, the stars and (mostly) clear skies—it’s all so beautiful. One of my favorite things to do here is go on an evening stroll around campus; it’s very relaxing and is also a good time to call back home and let my family and friends know what I’ve been up to. 🙂

I hope you enjoyed reading about my day! If you are interested in applying for SSP Biochemistry, give Chadron a chance. It’s a new campus, but I’ve got a sneaky feeling you’ll really enjoy it here.

Much love,
Leyna

Leyna is a rising senior from Houston, Texas. She plans on studying biology and data science in college, and she is also very passionate about finding the intersection between STEM and advocacy. In her free time, Leyna enjoys spending time with family and friends, singing and playing the guitar, and sipping on matcha lattes.