On a December morning at Queens College, senior Samia Orva sat with her friends, debating whether to open her QuestBridge college decision or to wait until the end of the day. The anticipation was slowly eating away at her, through what she recalled as “sheer anxiety,” leading up to the moment of truth. Samia could simply wait no longer. When she finally opened her decision, confetti adorned her screen, and Samia was matched with Princeton University. 

“I was completely ecstatic, and excitement took over,” said Samia. “We screamed once we saw the results. I had to do a double take to figure out which school I had matched with.” 

Samia will be attending Princeton University this fall, and she intends to major in chemical and biological engineering. Samia said, “This moment just affirmed that all my hard work had paid off.” 

She recounted her experiences in Mr. Kadamani’s honors chemistry class during her freshmen year. “I really enjoyed viewing the world on [a] smaller scale, looking at all the intricate interactions and delicate balances that govern the world. From there, I began exploring different career paths related to chemistry,” she said.

Furthering her passion for science, Samia said her involvement in the Youth Medical Association (YMA) exposed her to different career paths within biomedicine after organizing lab tours and guest speaker events. “Doing all this outreach to secure lab tours, shadowing and volunteering opportunities, as well as guest speakers for our club members exposed me to the various avenues within this broad field and allowed me to speak to professionals of various experiences,” she said. Samia credited her instilled fascination for the biological sciences to when she “hosted Dr. Hasson, a cancer researcher at Mount Sinai and co-director of SPARKED, at THHS to do a YMA guest speaker event.” 

She said that the event deepened her curiosity for oncology and affirmed her interests in mediating cancer. “Cancer is a disease that has plagued humanity for so long and discussions surrounding it often inspire despair, but research is the way to instill hope. With a chemistry degree, some areas of interest I hope to pursue are immunotherapy and pharmaceutical research in cancer,” said Samia.

Aside from her in-school commitments, Samia was eager to explore her interests in a more professional setting. The summer before senior year, Samia joined the lab of Dr. Tirtha Kamal Das, an assistant professor at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai and a principal investigator of the Summer Program Advancing Research Knowledge, Education and Development (SPARKED). This program provides students with hands-on research experience, developing strong laboratory and data analysis skills under the counseling of a mentor from a diverse group of the principal investigators.

Samia said, “Research is by no means a quick process and you don’t get to see the fruits of your labor instantaneously, but the work is very meaningful. Being in the lab allowed me to actually envision myself in this position in the long term, as a scientist.”

Gallery • 4 Photos

Julian Walter

Samia's end of internship presentation for SPARKED.

Dr. Das said Samia’s growth in the lab stood out, particularly through her “nice temperament and attitude.” Dr. Das said, “She is a great listener and communicator… I saw she was incorporating all the suggestions I gave and adding her own touches as well. These two qualities will stand her very well in any future.”

Spanish teacher Beatriz Ezquerra, who taught Samia Spanish at both intermediate and AP levels, said, “[Samia] is intuitive in her learning, and she never hesitates to confront moments of uncertainty.”

Senior Kathleen Chen said, “Samia is genuinely the most hardworking and diligent person I know. Along with her obvious aptitude for learning, she has an unrelenting drive to make sure that she fully understands something before she tackles a new challenge, and by that, I’m always inspired by her growth mindset.”

Senior Dadol Ukyab said, “Samia is all around the most amazing person I know. Her support is always so comforting, even during college application season, when everyone is stressed. She is easy to talk to and there to help you if anyone is in need of help. She has helped me in Latin, math, and physics, taking the time to answer and explain every question or topic I had trouble understanding. She is my Albert Einstein.”

Reflecting on the process, Samia offered advice for upcoming seniors, “I think it’s really easy to lean into comparison or sell yourself short, but part of the process is just having faith in yourself,” she said. “Ultimately, it’s not where you end up that matters, but what you do with your resources.”

Looking ahead, Ms. Ezquerra shares her hopes for Samia’s future: “My only hope is that life continues to treat her kindly, because she possesses so many values, including integrity, resilience, curiosity, and humility, that make her an exceptional student and an exceptional person.”