{"id":3579,"date":"2023-05-10T13:33:50","date_gmt":"2023-05-10T17:33:50","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blog.wabash.edu\/fyi\/?p=3579"},"modified":"2023-05-10T13:38:53","modified_gmt":"2023-05-10T17:38:53","slug":"i-like-that-it-pushed-me","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blog.wabash.edu\/fyi\/2023\/05\/10\/i-like-that-it-pushed-me\/","title":{"rendered":"I Like That It Pushed Me"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Adan Villeda \u201923 is a chemistry major from Chicago who graduates this weekend with plans for graduate school, where he will pursue a master\u2019s degree in Notre Dame\u2019s ESTEEM (engineering, science, and technology entrepreneurship) program. He\u2019s also someone who recently completed a 300-level invertebrate biology course without the prerequisites, not the usual distribution choice for a second-semester senior.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI was just trying to expose myself to something new,\u201d he said, \u201cand taking advantage of the liberal arts.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Villeda was interested in an immersion course when thinking about his final semester. The choices came down to the biology course and a Classics offering. A course rooted in science would be more familiar, but there were adjustments ahead.<\/p>\n\n\n

\n
\"biology<\/a>
Adan Villeda ’23 (left) and Ben Jansen ’24 explore tidal pools near South Water Caye, Belize.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

Eric Wetzel, the biology professor who teaches BIO 322, had to think through the course and how to reposition the material so it could connect with Villeda. When there are students in the class who don\u2019t have the same knowledge backgrounds, Wetzel said it can be harder to provide the needed context.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIt forced both of us to readjust ourselves a bit,\u201d Wetzel explained. \u201cTo have the flexibility to try and make it happen is important. An immersion course is a special opportunity. I’m grateful the College was able to accommodate that.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Wetzel knew he could identify specific points of interest for Villeda, who has a long-term interest in pharmaceuticals and cancer research. The point is to meet the student where he is.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cSometimes, you have to build the house in a different way,\u201d Wetzel said. \u201cIt\u2019s cool to be able to weave his own expertise into the material. That enriches the experience throughout the course for everyone.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Villeda\u2019s effort impressed other students in the class.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cAdan is a very intelligent guy,\u201d said Ben Jansen \u201924, a biology major, \u201cHe\u2019s taken in so much information and will be able to use that for a long time. It\u2019s super cool to witness.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Even though it\u2019s one of the hardest classes he\u2019s taken, Villeda appreciates the experience.<\/p>\n\n\n

\n
\"Wabash<\/a>
Adan Villeda ’23 (right) snorkels on an immersion trip in Belize.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

\u201cIt’s definitely been a challenge,\u201d he said. \u201cI like that it pushed me. The class made me want to work as hard as everyone in it. We went through this together.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Villeda and his classmates traveled to Belize for a week of studies along the world\u2019s second-longest coral reef. It was just the adventure he was looking for. \u201cWabash is known for immersion trips, and I wanted to get the full experience,\u201d said the Snodell Scholar. \u201cWe were able to have an educational spring break, but at the same time, have a lot of fun. I thank Dr. Wetzel for allowing us to do that. Everything we did was fascinating to me. Snorkeling every day at different locations, we were able to almost absorb the reef. It\u2019s a whole different world there.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Adan Villeda \u201923 is a chemistry major from Chicago who graduates this weekend with plans for graduate school, where he will pursue a master\u2019s degree in Notre Dame\u2019s ESTEEM (engineering, science, and […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":18,"featured_media":3580,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[16,15],"class_list":["post-3579","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-uncategorized","tag-biology","tag-immersion-learning"],"w_featured_image_url":"https:\/\/blog.wabash.edu\/fyi\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2023\/05\/Villeda_jansen.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.wabash.edu\/fyi\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3579","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.wabash.edu\/fyi\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.wabash.edu\/fyi\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.wabash.edu\/fyi\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/18"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.wabash.edu\/fyi\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=3579"}],"version-history":[{"count":7,"href":"https:\/\/blog.wabash.edu\/fyi\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3579\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":3590,"href":"https:\/\/blog.wabash.edu\/fyi\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3579\/revisions\/3590"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.wabash.edu\/fyi\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/3580"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.wabash.edu\/fyi\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=3579"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.wabash.edu\/fyi\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=3579"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.wabash.edu\/fyi\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=3579"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}