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Victoria P. ’23 Pursues Dual Degree in Neuroscience and Engineering with Barnard College and Columbia University

Seven years ago Victoria (Vika) P. ’23 joined the Hun Middle School – she described her younger self as “incredibly shy, scared of everything, and living inside of her comfort zone”. She graduates from The Hun School as a STEM scholar, an advocate for community service, leader of Model UN, and someone who lives life out of their comfort zone. 

This fall, she will attend Barnard College to study neuroscience while also taking classes at Columbia University to earn a B.S in engineering. Vika will be following a “3 + 2 path”, meaning she will study neuroscience for three years for a B.A and then two years of engineering. She plans to earn her master's degree in public health  from Columbia University with the ultimate goal of becoming a neuroengineer. 

Vika explains that this wasn’t always the path she wanted to take – she had original plans of going pre-med to pursue being a surgeon. She credits the sudden shift in her career aspirations and educational interests to three things: Mr. Workenaour’s AP Physics C class, a recent internship with a genetics testing lab, and Mrs. O’Gorman’s unwavering support. 

“AP Physics C turned out to be my absolute favorite class I’ve taken at Hun, and it was the first time I realized that I could actually do the engineering aspect,” she said. “My internship at Premier Medical Laboratory really fascinated me because of the biotechnology that I was exposed to. And throughout my senior year I have been really inspired by Mrs. O’Gorman, who has a background in health care – she’s the one who inspired and encouraged me to pursue this type of non-traditional career path. I didn’t think it was possible at first… she showed me that it was.” 

As someone who is a natural introvert, Vika explains that she has genuinely enjoyed coming to school for the last seven years and being a member of the Hun community. And while she is sad to go, she is eager for the next chapter of her life. She is most excited about continuing to surround herself with innovative people with similar mindsets; she is looking forward to the creative freedom that will come with her dual degree. 

“I’m really eager to get there and just begin researching and diving into my field,” she said. “And I know I have so many opportunities and resources to do that and there are so many doors open to me in this next chapter of my life.”