Izabella Beniaminova, Verrazzano Class of 2021, completed major in Biology Neuroscience, with a minor in Philosophy
I remember walking into the College of Staten
Island for the first time as any new student, afraid yet excited of the years
ahead of me. The fear of making new friends and performing well in the academic
world was terrifying. However, the Verrazzano Honors Program changed that for
me. At orientation I had the
opportunity to make new friends and learn the basics of working together as a team
by completing fun tasks. From the very beginning, Verrazzano made me feel like
a hero that has the potential to change the world.
Being part of the program opened many doors for me. In the fall semester of my freshman year, I was offered the opportunity to participate in the CUNY Research Scholars Program (CUNYRSP). This program encourages young students to participate in research, and as a result, I started working on my very own projects. Not many schools can provide such an opportunity for their students, and I was very thankful that being in an honors program put me at the advantage of getting into research early on. I performed at multiple Undergraduate Research Conferences at the College of Staten Island and was fortunate enough to represent the college as a speaker at the annual CUNY Research Scholars Symposium at John Jay College. Although I did not win an award that year, I was not ready to give up. I worked hard the following year and improved my presenting skills, which lead me to win the Best Poster Award at the CUNYRSP symposium in the summer of 2019.
For multiple semesters I worked on my capstone project, which focused primarily on Alzheimer’s, one of the leading diseases in the United States. It was a great honor to be part of the team working on getting a better understanding of Alzheimer’s and its potential treatment. Over the years, my research has provided me with a better understanding and hope that one day it will be able to change the world and the lives of the many people for the better. Thank you, Verrazzano Honors Program.
