Humans of the U: Chelsea Bordon

When I completed it, I asked the professor for a letter of recommendation and when he gave it to me, he told me it would be a waste for me to go into nursing and that he thought I’d find it boring. With his perspective in mind, I changed my major to biology with a microbiology emphasis and moved to Utah so I could attend the U.

The Science Research Initiative, SRI, is one of the things that drew me to the U. I felt a lot of impostor syndrome as I began my degree, and this program helped me realize I could be a scientist. Being in a lab early on in my degree and receiving mentorship helped me know I could complete hard courses later on.

In the Navy, I was a mechanic. I worked on jet airplanes and sometimes things would break and I would be out there fixing something at 2 a.m. Sometimes what we did worked, and sometimes we would have to keep trying the next day. Through this I learned perseverance that carries over into my work as a scientist. When I do a science experiment and it doesn’t work out, I know trying again is just part of the process.

I now work on campus as part of SRI and I love that I have come full circle. I am working with brand new students who are where I was four years ago. When they say ‘I don’t know if I can do it,’ I get to tell them I did it and I know they can too. Through this experience, I have learned that I want to show other people they can be scientists because we need more.

I am not a 4.0 student—I’m pretty average. I love getting to help students understand that failing a class is not the end of the world. It doesn’t mean they can’t do it, it just means they need to approach it differently the next time, whether it’s with new study habits or finding a different teacher.

I always tell my students that life is a journey. I am 34 and just graduating with my bachelor’s degree. I’ve lived a lot of life. I’ve had a lot of careers. And now I have the opportunity to start a new, exciting career and I get to bring all the other knowledge I’ve gained with me.

by Chelsea Bordon
Class of 2025, B.S. in biology, microbiology emphasis, from Las Vegas, Nevada

This story originally appeared in @ The U.

After I got out of the military, I was planning on going into nursing and was taking classes in Washington. I took a microbiology class and I loved the course.