Is it possible that I will ever forget those two days that influenced the road of my life so much? Everything started in a study session of my friend’s apartment in Guaynabo, Puerto Rico. Only the two of us were there that night. He was so enthusiastic for his medical internship in Niza, France. While he told me about his plans for the summer, I realized that I didn’t have any yet. Then, I turn to my computer to search for a program that fit with my interests and provided me new experiences. Safari offered me a large list of internships on Society for the Advancement of Chicanos and Native Americans in Sciences (SACNAS) website. There were internships at universities around the world for any field of study you could imagine. Two internship opportunities caught my attention. One was for a genomics project and the other was the Polaris Project. I pressed the button to enter the Polaris website. The website was different from others; it did not just provide information, but also photographs and videos too. The internship location was different as well; Russia is not a familiar place for me. When I watched Chris Linder’s videos about the different research projects, I was certain that I needed to go to there and do science. I wanted to be part of all the projects. I asked myself, how is it that the Arctic has such high amounts of carbon stock trapped in the permafrost and yet there are still many gaps in understanding the cycle processes? Then I searched for the application and the first problem emerged. My emotions collapsed when I read below the form that maybe NSF would not fund the program.

Across the floodplain, mountain can be seen rising in the distance. © Becky Tachihara

What would happen if history were repeated itself? Last year I was selected for an internship in Hawaii and it was canceled because of the lack of funding. However, it did not stop me from writing the essay and asking for a letter of recommendation. I decided to throw myself out to the unknown and work with different people from different cultures in a new place that is not even mentioned in my courses at the university.

My friends started to ask me what I was doing for the summer. For some reason, before I had even been accepted, I started answering that I was going to Russia. One day, I came home early from the university and it finally happened. I checked my email, and there was one from Max Holmes (the director of the Polaris Project). Butterflies invaded my stomach and an anxious wave rippled through my whole body. After reading the email, I started to jump with excitement. I called everybody that helped me with the applying process and my close relatives.

The first Puerto Ricans in Cherskiy. © Becky Tachihara

I wrote to Max accepting the offer and waited until my departure. Besides the other Puerto Rican student, Michael Melendez, the first person that I talked to was Bill (one of the PIs). This is his fourth year in the program and he told me that it is a life changing experience. He was completely right.