A Note from Ms. Afshar, Estrella's Teacher

Estrella is an excellent candidate for the NSLC Psychology and Neuroscience program because of her passion and deep-rooted interest with how the human mind functions. Estrella is an extremely deep and critical thinker. She continuously pushes all boundaries with her endless questions about why humans behave the way they do and how their environment impacts this behavior. Out of all of the students I have taught or with whom I have exchanged interactions, Estrella has by far the most depth and curiosity for soaking up new information. Estrella would immensely benefit from the program because it would provide her with a environment in which she can develop her thoughts in a more sophisticated manner as well as begin to answer all of the questions she has, which drive her passion for psychology. I believe this program would open up Estrella‰'s eyes to all of the possibilities within the psychology realm and would elevate her curiosity to another level. Estrella is never satisfied with a simple answer or statement that "this is how things are", therefore, this program would focus new information and generate questions that would push her thinking to higher levels and feed her passion for understanding and desire to contribute to community ethos. Coming from a low income background, Estrella has held a job from a very young age. This program would also provide Estrella a time of uninterrupted exploration and learning without having the outside pressures of balancing work alongside her education. Estrella is the kind of student that makes me want to be a better teacher--she pushes me everyday by asking me challenging, and at times, unanswerable questions.