Office of Merit Scholarships, Fellowships & Awards (OMSFA)

Hello, my name is Mohamed Farawila, and I am a second-year student at the University of Washington. I am originally from Tri-Cities, Washington, and I am a second-generation immigrant, with my parents being from Egypt and France. I intend to apply for the Biology-Physiology major this Spring Quarter and plan to minor in Bioethics. Outside of school, my hobbies are playing tennis, weightlifting, and reading (I'm currently reading the last book of The Lord of the Rings).

My motivation for applying to the Sedlock Icon scholarship was to support my biology research with the Nemhauser Lab and simultaneously support my career goals. The research I've done in synthetic biology within the Nemhauser Lab has developed and strengthened my interest in genetics and medicine. For one, the auxin circuit in plants, which I have been researching, involves a corepressor with homologs in most eukaryotes, including Humans! The homologs of this repressor have also been implicated in many kinds of cancers.

While I am nowhere near certain of my desired medical specialty, oncology is one that I find particularly fascinating. Additionally, working with the Nemhauser Lab has encouraged me to be more investigative, resilient, and collaborative. At many points in my research project, I encountered frustrations that I had to overcome, and my project would certainly not be possible without my mentor and further collaboration within and outside the lab. I believe the qualities I have gained from being a part of the Nemhauser Lab will not only make me a better scientist and healthcare practitioner but a better person in general. Receiving the Sedlock Icon scholarship will undoubtedly support my research in the Nemhauser Lab and my future career in medicine.