San Francisco STEM Experience - Kassandra Ortiz

This year I was chosen to be a part of a STEM field trip to San Francisco. We spent about four days in California. In that short time, we saw a lot and experienced a lot. I saw many things that interested me, but I also saw some things that broke my heart.

On our first two days, we went to Stanford and Santa Clara University and explored both schools. I found it interesting to see how different both campuses were compared to Boise State University and The University of Idaho. I found that they had an older look to them, especially when compared to Boise State’s campus, which has more of a modern look to it.

On the second day, we left Santa Clara and headed to San Francisco via train. I found this experience to be especially fun. However, when we made it to San Francisco my mood changed. I usually like big cities and how much there is to do, however this time was different. There were a lot of homeless people around and it broke my heart   to see that. I never really understood how much homelessness there was in bigger cities such as San Francisco. I also believe the homelessness and poverty were worsened because of the pandemic and all the side effects.

At times I felt unsafe, and I hated feeling that way. I know that they are people like us. They are just having to struggle harder than others to survive in a world that refuses to acknowledge them as people. I saw the way people would look at them and heard the ways they talked about them like they were not people. I feel sympathetic towards those people because I know that if it were not for my grandparents I would be in the same boat as them. To know that I was so close to living like that makes me feel for them.

I hope in the future I can do something to help the homeless population in some way. I am wanting to become a psychiatrist and I know that many within the homeless population need psychological help. My main goal once I become a psychiatrist is to work with underprivileged communities. Besides opening my eyes to how bad the homeless population was I had a lot of fun on our trip and experienced a lot. My favorite place was the California Academy of Sciences. Inside the building, they had an exhibit dedicated to the rainforest where it felt like you were actually inside a rainforest. It also had an aquarium in the basement that felt even more expansive than the city's aquarium.

Overall, I had a lot of fun on this trip and learned a lot of things that I found valuable. I learned how dedicated I was to serve underprivileged communities in the future and get them the help they need and deserve. This trip opened my eyes to something I did not see as that big of a problem. I am grateful for this trip for the many experiences I had, and for also opening my heart to see other's woes.