2019-2020 Avatar: Usman Salim

Hi! My name is Usman Salim and I am absolutely stoked to serve as an Avatar for my senior year! (It’s not quite the same as bending all four elements, but this job is still really cool!) I am a first-generation Pakistani-American from Laurel County; specifically, London, Kentucky.

At my sending school, North Laurel High School (go Jags!), I had fallen into a boring routine: school, after-school extracurriculars, tennis practice, homework, Netflix, sleep. Needless to say, coming to Gatton was a much-needed and very exciting change of pace. I was lucky enough to have had a sibling attend Gatton in the past, so I knew a lot about the program before starting here, but nothing could’ve fully prepared me for what would become a life-changing experience.

When I first arrived at Florence Schneider Hall in August of 2018, I wanted to hit the ground running. I wanted to find research that I would enjoy while also pertaining to my favored STEM field of Biology. Thus, I joined a lab of genetics research under Dr. Srivastava of the Biology Department, and I’ve been fortunate enough to keep pursuing this research even into the summer as a result of receiving a Gatton Research Internship Grant. This is part of why I think Gatton is so special: the insanely huge array of opportunities and paths to choose from.

Aside from research, I love being involved in the Gatton community. Thus, I take part in multiple clubs, such as: Student Y, Boys and Girls Club, (political) Party Club, Gatton Academy Medical Association, and Bollywood Movie Club.

Gatton is definitely a challenge, and my first year here certainly had its ups and downs, but I love the experience, and I, for one, cannot wait to see what this next year has in store for us all.