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Jenny Legido is a 20 year old attending Middlebury College; she is working to earn her major in neuroscience. She has always found the brain interesting and has decided to pursue a career focusing on it. Jenny is currently studying abroad in Europe; throughout her adventurous career she has learned many things and is still working hard to achieve her goal. Although she is living a very exciting life right now, getting there wasn’t easy, she has had her own personal struggles that she’s overcome. Nevertheless she never let any roadblock stop her, Jenny has always managed to keep her head up high and focus on her dreams of becoming a neurosurgeon.

DL: What inspired you to work towards becoming a neurosurgeon?

JL: I realized in 8th grade that I was good at science and it interested me so I began steering into STEM. I then started thinking about science through the perspective of why and how we make decisions. How was I able to know that I enjoyed science? Thus, I started getting more interested in the brain and nervous system and have been studying neuroscience for almost three years now.

DL: Do you wish you had taken a gap year? Why or why not?

JL: I do not wish I had taken a gap year because I think it would be harder to return back into school mode.

DL: Do you think that studying this major will be worth the work and trouble? Why or why not?

JL: I believe this major will be worth it as I plan on being a doctor/surgeon. I think I would like to be a pediatric neurologist because I am very interested in the critical years of childhood, 0yrs – 7yrs, in which a child’s brain is in Theta mode and absorbs the most information.

DL: What is your plan after college?

JL: I plan on getting experience in a hospital while studying for the MCAT. I then plan on taking it and applying to med school. I am also considering doing a Masters degree first.

DL: Is studying to become a neurosurgeon easy? Why or why not?

JL: It is not. It requires an immense amount of work and calculations. Many hours of work and not enough sleep. 

DL: Would you change your major if you could? Why or why not?

JL: I would not. I like the academic challenges this major brings me and watching myself succeed.

DL: Was the path to college difficult?

JL: It was a very difficult path. In middle school I was failing all my classes and had to clean myself up for high school. My first year of high school I got three Bs and the rest straight As. This was only possible through attending every office hours, studying for all exams, making a genuine effort in my homework, doing all my readings all while playing soccer and being in 3 organizations, one of which I founded and was the President of.

DL: What college are you attending?

JL: Middlebury College.

DL: Has college been different from what you had first imagined it to be?

JL: Surprisingly, it is what I expected it to be.

DL: What piece of advice would you give someone if they asked you for it?

JL: If academic advice, do your best to not procrastinate, don’t be afraid to ask questions because you’ll be taking information away from yourself.

DL: Looking back, would your younger self be surprised by anything?

JL: My younger self would be so amazed by me being a Neuroscience major with a Spanish minor on Pre-Med track while studying abroad in Spain!!

DL: What were the most important lessons you learned along the way to where you are now?

JL: I learned that I am my number one supporter and motivator and that is good enough. It is a good thing to be at peace with yourself and to be alone. Also, no matter how complicated anything gets, I always get through it somehow.

DL: What do you like most about neuroscience?

JL: When I look at neurons, to me, it looks like art and seeing them react with each other is similar to digital art. I want to understand why we are the way we are and neuroscience gives me insights on these nice visuals where I get to understand every piece of the brain and how perfectly they work together like puzzle pieces.

DL: If you could go back in time what moment would you relive? Would you change anything?

JL: If I could go back in time I’d go to a time when I was younger drinking chocolate milk and watching the original animated Peter Pan movie and wouldn’t change anything. I would go back to this moment because my mom happened to take a picture of me doing this and it’s one of my favorites.