Welcome to my blog!
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(Image information: Personal photo of myself from Camp Crimson - July 2016)
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Hi! My name is Sonali Demla, a senior Chemical Biosciences Pre-Dental major at the University of Oklahoma. I grew up in Lawton, Oklahoma with my little sister, little brother, and my dog Danny.
My sister and I currently live together as she also attends the University of Oklahoma, and my little brother is now in high school (scary, right?). We're all really close, but my sister and I are closer than you might think. What do I mean by this? Well, when people ask me an interesting fact about myself, I tell them that my sister and I have the same birthday, except we're one year apart. Yes, an exact 365 days!
Some people say, "Well, that must suck." I actually enjoy it. I have never been the person to always want the attention just on me, so I actually really like sharing my birthday with my sister. This academic school year I'll be turning 21! It's really young for a senior, but I've come to embrace how young I am especially with the big dreams I have for my future.
As you've read, I'm a Pre-Dental student. I love teeth. I believe that the appearance of your teeth impact your self-esteem, and also play a big role in first impressions. I have grown up shadowing my dentist since the 11th grade of high school, and my middle school teacher said that I told her in 7th grade that that was what I wanted to be. So, I guess it's been my desire since I was very young to become a dentist. I'm living the dream right now as I begin to prepare for dental school interviews, and I am excited to see what happens.
Besides attending numerous science classes, I am very involved on campus. I currently serve as the Chair for Campus Activities Council (CAC) Howdy Week. Howdy Week is the first week of the Fall semester where we welcome new and returning students to OU's campus with fun events, and free food.
If you've been on the South Oval at all during the first week of school this semester, it was my committee and me that were passing out the free food and hosting the free events from the huge Kraken Slide to the Petting Zoo! It's a great way to connect with others and leave an impact. I've also been involved with OU's Camp Crimson (as you can tell with the personal photo I've added), President's Community Scholars, LoveWorks Leadership, and more! As you can tell, I love being involved, leading others, and influencing lives. It is a passion of mine.
If you've been on the South Oval at all during the first week of school this semester, it was my committee and me that were passing out the free food and hosting the free events from the huge Kraken Slide to the Petting Zoo! It's a great way to connect with others and leave an impact. I've also been involved with OU's Camp Crimson (as you can tell with the personal photo I've added), President's Community Scholars, LoveWorks Leadership, and more! As you can tell, I love being involved, leading others, and influencing lives. It is a passion of mine.
This past summer, I combined both my passions (dentistry and impacting lives) as I got to go on a Global Brigade to Panama. I provided dental care to poor kids and families. It was an amazing experience, and I am so excited to have had that experience going forward into applying for dental school.
Besides being involved, and taking challenging courses for my major, I spend my free time working out, cooking, and hanging out with my friends. I love food and working out. What a weird mix, right? Believe it or not, I actually used to weigh 40 pounds more than I do now. It took me the latter half of my high school career to really work on myself, and realize the importance of living a healthy lifestyle. It has been one of my greatest accomplishments to this day. However, I love food too. Since college, I have been invested in cooking healthy and tasty foods. My sister doesn't cook because she enjoys my cooking too much. Some days, she waits till I get home so that I can cook for her. It's nice to know that she appreciates my cooking.
Last, but not least, I love to spend time with the people I care about. I know how important school is for my future, but I also know that sometimes you just need a break and need to spend time with the people that make you happy. It's always great to take on new adventures with my best friends because those memories last a lifetime.
Last, but not least, I love to spend time with the people I care about. I know how important school is for my future, but I also know that sometimes you just need a break and need to spend time with the people that make you happy. It's always great to take on new adventures with my best friends because those memories last a lifetime.
I like to call myself a global traveler. My family and I have visited more than 20 countries and every country has taught me more about myself, my appreciation for other cultures, and how big the world is. I hope to visit more countries this year with my parents and mark some things off my bucket list as well. My 2017-2018 bucket list includes: going skydiving, running a half marathon, visiting another country (or two) with my family, and getting into dental school.
I hope from this small summary about myself that you have gotten to know me a little better. If you ever have any questions about dentistry, getting involved at OU, or want any advice, I am always available!
Hey Sonali,
ReplyDeleteI think that's really cool that you and your sister share a birthday, and only one year apart! My niece was born on my daughter's birthday, although they are quite a few years apart as my daughter is the oldest kid in the family and it's my youngest niece. It's still kind of cool though, and my daughter also hates the spotlight, so she doesn't mind sharing. What kinds of healthy food have you learned to cook? I think that's really awesome, and I have also been making an effort to cook healthier meals most of the time lately.
Hi Sonali! It is awesome that you and your sister share the same birthday and are only a year apart! I also have a sister that is a year younger, not to the exact date like yours, but still pretty close in age. It so cute that she also attends OU. My sister just started college this year and despite all of my persuading she did not choose OU. I also have a younger brother that just started high school, and yes it is actually terrifying to think that he is that old. You must be really brave for wanting to sky dive, I would never be able to do that as I am petrified by heights. I hope you have a blast and good luck on dental school!
ReplyDeleteAubryelle
Hi Sonali, it’s so cute that you get to room together with your sister since you both go to the same school, it’s so crazy that you two have the same birthday but are a year apart. It’s so cool that you knew exactly what you wanted to be since middle school and stayed on that path. You are such an amazing and well rounded person!
ReplyDeleteHi Sonali! That's so cool that you headed up CAC's Howdy Week last week! All of the events were super fun, and who doesn't love a little free food? My roommate, Jillian, was on the Howdy Week team and she loved it! I also love that you and your sister are so close. I'm super close with my sister that's a senior in high school this year, although we don't share the same birthday. I hope you have a great senior year!
ReplyDeleteHi Sonali! Wow, reading your introduction was awe inspiring! You sound incredibly well rounded and motivated. It amazes me when I meet or hear about someone who not only managed to find their true passion at such a young age, but has also found a way to really direct that passion towards realistic and admirable life goals, while having the dedication to put in the work and time to achieve them. You sound like a wonderful person, and I'm really looking forward to reading about what you have to say.
ReplyDeleteHey Sonali! I love your major, that sounds really interesting! Being in the chemical industry myself, I love seeing people involved in other areas of it. And whats even better is that you seem to be really passionate about it. I wasn't really sure what I was going to do with my major before freshman year of college, so I am always jealous of people like you. The other thing I really liked about your introduction was your passion for food and being healthy, your dedication and lifestyle is certainly admirable. I wish you the best of luck with your senior year, and I hope you have a great 21st birthday :)
ReplyDeleteI remember that picture, Sonali: it is a great one! And I am so curious to see what you will think about the readings for this class and what kind of project you will want to do. As you can imagine, your Gossip Girl project showed up in people's posts about their favorite Storybooks for Indian Epics last week! If there is another Gossip Girl project in that class this semester (I hope there will be!), I will be sure to let you know. And I am really excited that you got a chance to practice dentistry already in this life-changing way. You are going to have such a great gift to share with the world as you gain more and more skills and experience. This summer I had my wisdom teeth out (weird, I know, since I am over 50, but my dentist said it would be good for my overall oral health even if I was not having problems), and it was actually painless; the dental surgeon was incredible. He had me totally load up on ibuprofen for 36 hours before the procedure, and ibuprofen afterwards... but I didn't need any prescription painkillers at all, except for the drugs he used during the actual procedure. I couldn't believe it: he made the whole thing so easy! I am now a total believer in the power of ibuprofen. Anyway, I hope you will have another great semester, and keep those announcements coming; it was so nice having the great graphic for Howdy Week in the announcements sidebar all week long last week; I am going to make sure to do that every semester from now now! :-)
ReplyDeleteSonali, hi! I didn't realize we were in this class together, but it was cool to read about you and your sister sharing a birthday and a living space! I thought Howdy Week this year turned out great, so kudos to you and your team. Good luck on dental school interviews — I'm sure you'll knock them out of the park. You've clearly worked really hard to get where you are! Hope it's a great semester for you.
ReplyDeleteHey, Sonali. I suppose I should thank you for the free food I got the other day.
ReplyDeleteI'm impressed you can balance all those various activities as well as classes. Sounds like you've got a pretty busy schedule. At any rate, I'm glad you were able to take you passion for teeth and helping others to Panama. Things like that are so important for people our age to engage in. It's very easy to get sucked into a "me" mindset in college, and volunteer opportunities like that are a great way to grow your heart!
Also, if you are interested, I have some friends who are getting a team together to train for the next marathon. They're great people and lots of fun. I'm even considering joining up.
Hey Sonali! I too am a Pre-dental student except I'm studying biology instead. You sound like you are always on the move and I can relate to that. Sometimes I feel the only free time I have is when I go to bed. I also think it is awesome how much you have gotten to travel. I'm jealous about all of the different countries you have gotten to go to because I've only been to 2 different ones. Good luck this semester with everything!
ReplyDeleteHey there Sonali! I hope your semester is going well. I know how the science classes can get difficult around this time of the semester sometimes. It's exciting that you have dental interviews going on right now! You are onto the last steps in beginning the last chapter before your dream. That's so exciting for you. I hope the last few weeks treat you well!
ReplyDeleteHey Sonali, I hope your semester is going well. First, I have to compliment your page! It looks very neat and it was easy to navigate. Also, I think that your major if awesome. I am a Biology major and pre-med as well! I am going through interviews now so I am hoping to channel you some online support!! In addition, living with your sister must be so much fun and your fun fact is uncanny. I think it’s great that you are so close! But anyway, good luck, hope you finish the year strong.
ReplyDeleteHey Sonali,
ReplyDeleteIt is a pleasure to meet you. I think it is really commendable that you are such a young senior! These days, you are always hearing about super-seniors and super-duper-seniors, since it is taking longer and longer for students to get through college. However, you go against this norm and are excelling! I mean, you have to if you are/have been so passionate about your major and career path!
Good luck with the rest of the semester!
Sonali,
ReplyDeleteYour life sounds amazing. Honestly, I'm quite jealous of you. My sister and I both attend OU as well, but we're two years apart. It's nice to have her here with me, since I'm from New York, and that's a little far away from my family and my pets. My youngest sister is in high school too, so I totally understand about it being scary. I hope that you've gotten at least one of your goals for this year done, especially getting into dental school! Good luck!
Hey Sonali! I find that reading these introductions often makes me feel like I don’t have my life together at all! You have done so much and you’ve got everything figured out. I am so envious. I also have an incredible love for food, but the gym has not yet found love for me. That’s pretty cool that you’ve got your sister. I know siblings fight, but she’ll be one of your best friends for life. She’s family so it’s not like a fight can rip you apart. You’re stuck together. It was nice to meet you and I wish you the best with dental school and CAC!
ReplyDeleteHi Sonali! I love how much detail you put into your intro! I feel like I really got to know you a little bit. I hope you have a great time in Dental school; I can't image that someone with your passion for dentistry and helping people could have any problem getting in. I also love how close you and your sister are. My sister is five years older than me, but we are also pretty close. She's one of my favorite people in the world, and she can always bribe me to come visit her with food! :)
ReplyDeleteHi Sonali!
ReplyDeleteIt’s great to meet you! First of all I really like the design and layout of your blog. Also, I like how incorporated personal photos into your introduction; I think it makes your blog more personal. I think it’s so cool that you and your sister are exactly one year apart and get to share a birthday! What are the odds? I hope you are having a great semester so far!
Hey Sonali!
ReplyDeleteThat is really interesting that you and your sister are exactly one year apart! I think I also fall in the same boat with cooking. I love to cook but my brother only likes to eat.
It was also interesting to read a little bit about your major. You are almost done here but you still have some ways ahead of you, but you seem like you could handle it!
Have a great semester and good luck in dental school!
Hey Sonali,
ReplyDeleteNice to meet you, at the end of the semester... but that is great that you are going into dental work. I completely agree that teeth are important but that is probably just because most of my life I have been around dental practices because my mom manages a Dentist office. So basically I have grown up always hearing about how important taking care of my teeth are and I have heard all of the horror stories. Also I thought it was really cool that you have the same birthday as your sister although y'all are a year apart! That is wild. But I hope you had a great semester and are doing well in all of your classes! Good luck on finals!
Hello Sonali!
ReplyDeleteIt seems like you are having a great time here at OU. I have always loved Howdy week, and I appreciate all of the hard work that you and everyone else at CAC put into it. It is pretty cool that you are from Lawton. I am from Duncan, so it is always nice to meet someone who is from my neck of the woods. I agree that teeth and smiles contribute a lot to someone's self-esteem, and I think that it is wonderful that you are dedicating your life to dentistry. Good luck with your finals!