Introduction
My name is Jose Juan Ruiz Macias Jr. I am the son of Jose Juan Macias Ruiz and Irma Liliana Ruiz Ramos. Both are Mexican immigrants that came to the USA in 1997. I was born that same year in the small town of Sun Valley, Idaho. I spent my first year of life there. My dad wasn't a big fan of the cold weather, so we moved to Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, where he previously lived for a couple of years with his older brothers. I grew up in the south side of OKC next to OCCC. I attended Western Heights High School and graduated in the top ten percent with distinguished honors. I also played soccer and ran cross-country from sophomore to senior year. I came to OU as an undecided major, pursuing a career in pharmacy. After two years, I changed majors to chemical bioscience, and now I am in the process of applying to grad schools to obtain a PhD.D. I am not exactly sure what I want to study. I've looked at several programs including biochemistry, molecular biology, pathology, and genetics, but I just can't seem to make a decision.
For this reason, I am very interested in interdisciplinary programs such as OUHSC's GPiBS program. It gives you a year to rotate in 6 different labs and lets you get hands-on experience before you chose one to focus on. I'm currently involved in undergraduate research as an OK LSAMP and Ronald E. McNair scholar. I study the effects of Tobacco Mosaic Virus and Satellite Tobacco Mosaic Virus on WRKY transcription factors in tomatoes. This semester I am taking molecular biology, biochemical methods, biochemical methods lab, African repercussions, intermediate Portuguese, and this mythology and folklore class. I listen to all kinds of music, and I eat all types of food.
 |
| Photo of my family at my high school graduation, including my grandma. |
Wow, Jorge, way to go! Sounds like you're very ambitious and hard-working. I'm sorry for everything that's going on in our country right now with our barbaric immigration policy. I hope that you and your family are not affected. Medical career paths are extremely difficult, and I really admire your courage to pursue it. Best of luck in all you do!
ReplyDeleteHi Jose! That is really awesome that your parents moved over and gave you so many wonderful opportunities in the state of Oklahoma! Congratulations for graduating at top 10% of your class, that is a very honorable and hard thing to achieve. You sound as though you have a very go getter personality which will always get people far in life. I do not know the first thing about biology but my oldest brother is getting his PhD in Integrative Biology right now and I know he is super happy that he chose to push himself all the way there. I hope you have a great semester and congrats again for all your awesome achievements thus far!
ReplyDeleteHi Jose!
ReplyDeleteMy parents also immigrated from India to the USA. Seeing that we are both first generation students, it can be difficult to get a grasp on everything. It was hard to learn about the college admission process by myself. Despite this, you made great achievements! I hope your undergraduate research is great and wishing you the best of luck this semester!
Hey Jose!
ReplyDeleteIt sounds like you've had a great journey at OU, and I wish you the best of luck in applying to grad school! I also took African Repercussions here; do you have Dr. Souza? I really enjoyed learning about the music found in African and Latin American cultures and understanding how musical influences spread across time and space. Very cool that you ran cross country in high school - I also love to run, although I've never participated on a team.
Hi Jose! Thank you for sharing your story. That is so great that you have excelled in so many areas & I wish you the best of luck in all of your future endeavors. I too am applying to graduate school currently and it is a pretty stressful process, so I want to wish you luck in that, too! I know that in pursuing this degree, you will find the right field for you!
ReplyDeleteThat is exciting about all the different sciences that are attracting your attention, Jose! That's kind of how I feel about my interconnected interests, not in the sciences, but still a big tangle of folklore and linguistics and anthropology and psychology. Everything IS connected of course, which makes it so hard to choose just a single academic major or degree. But with all those interests, it sounds like you will be able to have a lot of insight to bring to bear in whatever you decide to pursue as your graduate studies! And I always feel honored when there is a McNair Scholar in this class: congratulation to you on being part of that program! I don't know if you saw the StoryCorps video by Ronald McNair's brother which I shared in the announcements last week: Eyes on the Stars: a conversation with Ronald McNair's brother... it always makes me cry, but in a good way: I am glad to know that you are part of Dr. McNair's legacy moving forward in 2019!
ReplyDeleteHi Jose,
ReplyDeleteYour family is adorable! You in so many science classes! The OUHSC's GPiBS program sounds amazing (for people who are interested). I think that being undecided now is a good thing, it's better than hurrying up and making a decision you will regret later on. I just changed my prospective graduate program a few months ago, and I may change it again after trying out a few OT internships. How is Portuguese? I am trying to figure out what language to learn next (I am studying Spanish right now) and I can't choose!
It was lovely to meet you!
Hey Jose! I think it's really cool that even though you came to OU an undecided major, you found something you love! I hope that you can find something you love to do in grad school too, using OUHSC's program! I think it's really awesome that they let you go through different labs, get lots of experience and find something you really like. It sounds like you have a pretty heavy course load this semester, so good luck-- I'm sure you'll do great! I took molecular bio last semester, and it was a really interesting class. Good luck with this semester!
ReplyDeleteHey Jose!
ReplyDeleteI am actually not in the Mythology class, but there are a lot more people in this class then the Indian Epics class so I thought it would be easier to to comment on some of the people in this class than mine. I know a lot of people who are chemical bioscience majors. I am a microbiology premed major trying to go for the medical school path. I do not think I could do research or grad school so props to you!
Hey there Jose! I am from the South side of OKC as well and also went to OCCC for concurrent classes during high school. My grandparent are immigrants from Mexico, and so it seems we have some things in common. Your research sounds so interesting, and you seem to have so much going for you in regards to academics! Good luck with the rest of this semester, and I wish you the best!
ReplyDeleteHey Jose! Wow, you are really smart! The fact that you are studying the effects of Tobacco Mosaic Virus is AWESOME! Good luck with choosing your path to getting your Ph.D. I can't imagine how difficult that is going to be, but I know it's going to pay off in the end.
ReplyDeleteHey Jose!
ReplyDeleteThe fact that you challenged yourself to study such a difficult topic is inspiring. I am sure that your hard work and determination will pay off! My dad is also an immigrant so I know how difficult that can be and respect you for chasing your passion despite the obstacles in your way. Good luck this semester! Boomer!
Hi Jose, it's nice to meet you!
ReplyDeleteWow, it sounds like you've got a lot of school still coming your way, but I'm glad you're in an interesting field that it seems like you're passionate about! I'm curious to know more about the Tobacco Mosaic Virus - how long have you been studying it? Does it only impact tomatoes, or can it affect other plants as well?
Good luck on the rest of the semester, and with your PHD!
Hey Jose,
ReplyDeleteIt sounds like you are a super intelligent guy with loads of ambition. I love that OUHSC's GPiBS program allows that opportunity for you to try out different fields, and I think that would be a great program if you decide to keep pursing your education at OU! No matter what field you choose, I bet you're going to do great!
On a side note, you have a beautiful family. Thank you for sharing that personal photo with us!
Hi Jose,
ReplyDeleteIt is nice to meet you. You seem to have a lot of passion for being a scientist. Your research sounds super interesting, and I would love to hear more about it. I also do research and I can understand the mundaneness of the process, but it can have its interesting moments. I wish you best of luck when you apply to grad school and your classes this semester!
Hey Jose! It was great to learn a little bit about you through reading your introduction. I loved seeing the picture of your family, it was really sweet. I am very impressed by all of your interests in sciences. I am applying to grad schools as well, so I definitely know what you're going through. Good luck with your future endeavors!
ReplyDeleteHello Jose!
ReplyDeleteIt was great having the opportunity to learn a little more about you! It's one of my favorite things about this class. I have a few friends applying to grad school so I understand all of the stress that can come along with that. Good luck in all of your future endeavors.
Hi Jose!
ReplyDeleteCongratulations on graduating in the top ten percent and with distinguished honors from high school! That is so impressive and definitely not easy to accomplish. That is so cool that you are doing research on the effects of Tobacco Mosaic Virus! That sounds so interesting. I am also doing research this semester ( I am researching the effects of minocycline on Fragile X Syndrome). Good luck this semester!
Hi Jose,
ReplyDeleteGreat job on graduating top 10% of your high school class. I wouldn't stress that much about not knowing your exact major yet. All of those majors sound pretty similar so I would think their job outlooks are similar as well. Good luck on obtaining your PHd. It sounds like you're pretty focused on school and your goals so I'm sure you'll get it one day.
Hi Jose! Your research sounds very interesting. I hope you figure out the direction you want to go towards soon. As another undecided person, I know it can be difficult in that limbo stage. The interdisciplinary program sounds like a perfect fit though. It gives you more time to decide, but you are obtaining important experience at the same time. Good luck with the last few weeks of the semester. Happy Thanksgiving break!
ReplyDeleteHi,
ReplyDeleteI like the story of how you came to Oklahoma! It does get quite cold here but there isn’t too much to do. It sounds like you are trying to find out what you want to spend the rest of your life doing. I can relate to be honest. When I first started college, I had no idea what I was going to do. It took a while to find out what I really wanted. Good luck in all your endeavors!
Hey Jose! I really enjoyed reading your introduction post and learning more about you. I think you have a really unique background moving from Idaho to Oklahoma, although there are some pretty cold days down here too. I also played soccer in high school! I also got to play for the OU Club Soccer Team for a few years, which was a blast.
ReplyDeleteHi Jose! Wow, you sound like a really ambitious person. Best of luck to you in your pursuit of a PhD! I'd love to get a doctorate degree someday, but it's not entirely necessary for my career path (and certainly expensive!). I wish you all the best and I hope you have a great winter break!
ReplyDeleteHey!
ReplyDeleteThe only thing we might have in common is that your listen to all types of music and eat all types of food lol I think its very cool that you did very well throughout highschool and carried on to college. It something to be really proud of. I think you do very well in life and can choose the best type of lab for you. Good Luck!
Hello Jose!
ReplyDeleteI loved the opportunity to read more about your life! We come from very different walks of life but by reading your introduction I can find many ways we are similar like our taste in music and food. I think that speaks to the collective OU family. It was really nice being in this class with you and i encourage you to continue to write!