A lover of Family. Despite living over two and a half hours away from home, she manages to maintain a close relationship with her family visiting at minimum once a month (usually twice). A lover of Animals. With a fascination since birth with all things that move (attach mouse picture), Christina raised gerbils, pedigreed rabbits, cats, dogs, fish, and turtles throughout her youth. Her home in Chattanooga currently houses two spoiled (suspected) Norwegian Forest kittens - Ash and Ember. A lover of Nature. Growing up on five acres north of Memphis, Christina has always been surrounded by nature. From beach trips to Missouri mountain trips to her own backyard lake, usually water was involved in family outings. When her family moved to a suburb in early middle school, they still continued weekly kayaking and hiking trips during good weather. Her family has now returned to a wilderness oasis sans internet and cell signal in south of Columbia, TN. She has an insatiable desire to learn. A desire to learn through Travel. Christina’s first trip abroad, with the help of the Honors college, sparked her love of immersion in new places (especially foreign). From the delicious food and rich history to the sociological atmosphere and daily interactions, travel has always left her feeling humbler and more inspired. A desire to learn through Education. Gifted and advanced from the time she entered school, Christina is always striving to learn in every area of her life. In high school, she participated in the International Baccalaureate Programme and followed into Honors at the collegiate level. Although she hasn’t decided on post-graduate education plans yet, it is definitely a thought that she has regularly. A desire to learn through Experience. Although she learns well in most environments, Christina learns best through hands-on experience. Her experience as a recreational gymnast has helped her easily master muscle-memory exercises as well as theoretical applications. She is determined. Determined through rejection. After homeschooling for most of her eighth-grade year, Christina was placed in a formal Spanish I class. Being trained on immersion Rosetta Stone prior, she struggled immediately. Being the last quarter of the year, the teacher refused to tutor Christina. So over spring break, she received over eighteen hours of private tutoring and finished the class with a “C”. Determined through failure. Freshman year of high school Biology came easily to Christina, but she met her match in sophomore year chemistry. Her first real academic struggle (along with Algebra II) was also her first passion. When she scored a “C” in the class, the instructor would not recommend her for AP Chemistry. Per the I.B. program guidelines, she needed two more additional years of Chemistry or Biology. For the love of Chemistry, she petitioned for an override and reserved a seat in the class. Struggling to maintain a “C” average in AP Chemistry, she passed with a 3 on the exam in May and continued to finish her senior year with a B in IB Chemistry. Determined despite setbacks Entering the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga her freshman year, Christina was enrolled in the four-year Brock Honors Program. After an incredibly emotional and stressful freshman year, she was unable to maintain the 3.5 GPA requirement and lost her position in Honors. In the spring of her sophomore year, she applied into the other branch of Honors - the Innovation in Honors program (IIH) and was accepted. Surprisingly, Christina was the first of her kind in honors to do this. She is eager. Eager to help. Scoring very highly on empathy, Christina is always ready to help (sometimes whether you like it or not). She has been through lifeguard training, CPR/ First Aid training, Bystander training, and QPR suicide prevention trained. She always offers a shoulder to cry on or a warm hug when you need it and prioritizes people’s needs over her own (sometimes to a fault). Eager to work. A workaholic, in the summer, Christina works two part-time jobs and maintains one job during the academic year. In the workplace, she is often given leadership responsibilities and is regarded highly by peers as well as management. Eager to grow. Christina is happiest when she is making progress. She dives at opportunities to take-on more responsibility, learn new things, and develop herself in novel way.
