Words of advice that you would offer to potential applicants (this can be about the fellowship experience, the application process, etc.)

If your research is directly or broadly related to the mission of American Heart Association (AHA), I encourage you to apply for the AHA Predoctoral Fellowship. Despite the fact that my research is somewhat interdisciplinary (structural biology, biophysics, and biochemistry), the results from my project have potential applications on gene therapeutics of inheritance diseases and other fields of research. Consequently, I applied to AHA’s fellowship program, which was my only option as an international student in a STEM field.

The application process is a great opportunity to summarize your research progress (research proposal with preliminary data) and career development (an individual career development plan) at the time of application. This plan, presented in the format of a questionnaire, was required for my application due in January 2015. As an applicant, you will reflect your short-term and long-term career goals: Do you want to have a career in academia or industry after graduation (long-term goals)? How will you prepare yourself to accomplish your preferred career (short-term goals)? Do you have any professional connections (other than your PI or primary research advisor) that can assist you to achieve your research and/or career goal(s)? This questionnaire, together with the rest of the application, makes you realize your strengths and weaknesses in different aspects of your professional development. If you realize that some aspects of your research (or career) can be improved through other/newer knowledge or skill sets beyond your research discipline, it may be a good time to broaden your network (e.g., mentors, advisors, peers)! Even a short conversation with these individuals can lead to important ideas or discoveries! And if you do benefit from having these (current and new) professional connections from various fields, be thankful for knowing them!

I started my college career as a chemistry major because that was the only subject that I liked when I was in high school (in Hong Kong). After moving to California to attend community college as a first-generation college student, I figured that I would transfer to a four-year university, get my bachelor's degree, and head home for a (no longer) decent paying job. Yet, it was the combination of my research experience (started as a junior student) and friends (who were academically and scientifically outstanding seniors) that motivated me to apply to graduate school. Not only was I interested in the research that I was doing, but also getting a degree beyond a bachelor became my personal mission. By the time I was a senior student, I also realized the things I wanted to learn (as an undergraduate researcher) and do (as a career) could only be achieved by getting the training through a PhD program. Hence, my eagerness to fulfill that knowledge void and to have a dreamlike career further drove me to apply for PhD programs in biochemistry and biophysics. To this day, I am still chasing my dream and filling this knowledge gap in my mind. One just needs to recognize that there are things that are intangible AND rewarding (which are not mutually exclusive with tangible assets).