Senior Isabela Trespalacios knows what it’s like to feel helpless when others are in need. Yet, unlike the common man or, in this case, woman, she decided to do something about. At ILS, you may have heard of an organization called HOSA (Health Organization Students of America), a competitive club focused on medicine.

“Right now we are starting to organize competitions. The original competitions will help us qualify for states where we will travel to Orlando, hopefully. We are also going to be setting up F block service activities in September or October,” said Trespalacios, who is also the club president.

 Yet, the question remains: What kind of person is Isabela to desire a position in this club? Simply put— she is passionate about medicine. 

“I have always gravitated towards science to find purpose, to explore the love I have for questioning everything and learning as much as I can. This became a bridge for me to become involved in my community. After the hurricanes in Puerto Rico [severely affected my family’s health and wellbeing], I was motivated to enroll in the Health Science STEAM program…focusing my time on volunteering at Mercy hospital and competing in HOSA events,” she added. 

This led Trespalacios to find a path in HOSA, where she “helped organize competitive events and [helped] students figure out what they’re passionate about in science.” 

Nowadays, Trespalacios is a determined and assertive version of herself, but it wasn’t always like this. She understood that her voice needed to be heard.

“Freshman year I was really quiet and I still kind of am, but to get out of my comfort zone, I decided, ‘hey! I’ll join the debate team!’, and then I’ve kind of been able to force myself to do things I used to not be comfortable with,” she explained.

If she wasn’t comfortable with what came in the debate team, why did she join? Well, according to a Yale research study, uncertainty signals the brain to start learning. The problem is that people don’t always want to learn. The easier option is to stay stagnant and stable, but when people do, it switches off the brain from further learning. 

Five-time entrepreneur, Auren Hoffman, recommends people do difficult things 70% of the time to maximize  development and knowledge. When Trespalacios decided to switch her brain on and enter the debate team which has helped her gain the skill of “deliver[ing] a speech in front of strangers super easily,” she was able to go on to become team captain, and discover more about herself through the experiences she has had with other members.

 “Something I didn’t realize before [the debate team] is that I really like international space study, relations, and political relations as well. That has kind of inspir[ed] me to major in that in college,”  she added.

Trespalacios is a prime example of how pursuing what you love and getting out of your comfort zone can make you grow in ways you may not even expect.

So go out there and discover what opportunities lie ahead!

Or, simply put by Isa: “Enjoy your [school] year and have fun!”