2016-2017 Avatar Intro: Amber Carroll

If you would have asked me what my name was a year ago, I would have answered “Amber.” To be honest, if you would have asked me this same question even last month, my answer would have been the same. I, now, however, am occasionally referred to as “Sparky” due to a mishap in Harlaxton with an electrical outlet and an Emergency Room visit. The outlets in England are no joke, let me tell you.

I am from Logan County, home of the cougars. Back at my home high school, I played varsity volleyball and basketball, and I also played club volleyball for a team named BRAVO out of Bowling Green. I, of course, also participated in the usual clubs like BETA, Student Council, and FCCLA. While at Gatton, however, I have been exposed to opportunities not available at my home high school. I participated in Genome, which includes Bioinformatics, my first year as an Academy student. This was one of the best decisions of my life. This experience introduced me to my Research Internship Grant (RIG) professor, Dr. King. I completed a RIG this past summer with Dr. King researching E. coli. Research in an actual college lab has been a large part of my experience here at Gatton that I never would have had the opportunity to pursue at Logan County.

Besides research, study abroad has also been another huge part of my experience here at the Academy. I was able to travel to not only England as I mentioned before, but also to Costa Rica, both of which are not offered at my home high school. In all actuality, my home high school does not offer any study abroad. I am blessed to have received these opportunities at Gatton.

In the coming months, I plan to continue my research with Dr. King, if possible. I also plan to go on the trip with Gatton to Greece this coming up winter. I love traveling and The Gatton Academy has given me the opportunity to fulfill my dream of doing so. Not only has The Gatton Academy went above and beyond with study abroad opportunities, they have been above and beyond with every aspect involved. Going to school here is truly a dream come true.