Senior Spotlight: Grant Miller
Get to know one of our graduating students and LJCDS lifer.
In summer 2018, Grant Miller ’19 worked in a lab researching liver cancer at the UC San Diego biomedical research facility. He then presented his research and findings at the University of Southern California graduate research forum with college students. He credits his AP Biology class for this new passion and knowledge. In fact, there were a couple of instances in the lab where he identified biological processes the college students hadn’t yet learned.
This all started when Grant took the initiative to research and email local labs that offered programs for high school students. When a couple of labs responded, he chose UC San Diego. Once there, Grant was assigned a liver cancer project. The scientists showed him lab techniques like sterilization, and he carried out his research. After the research was complete, he organized the data into charts and analyzed the findings to present to the forum.
“It was difficult,” shares Grant, “because the research didn’t go as we initially planned, yet I still had to make a story out of the data and explain to the forum what we were looking for and what we did find instead.” Despite the unexpected outcome, Grant and his team now have more research that they wish to pursue and test new theories that might be true after these results.
Grant was the only high schooler to present at the graduate research forum. “AP biology is one of my favorite classes,” explains Grant. “It just clicked for me. Everything connects together; you could write a 100-page essay starting from one place in the body, and it leads you to another part, and it’s all related. I don't know how to describe it other than it just made sense for me.”
Now that soccer season is over, Grant is planning to spend more time in the lab researching. He credits the lessons of soccer that help him excel in other areas of his life. “I think the whole experience of playing high school soccer really helped me go out of my comfort zone and take more of a leadership role. It's little things like that at LJCDS that have helped me in more public roles, especially presenting at a big forum.”
Grant is keeping his options open for college, in both his major and where he is attending. He was accepted early into six out of the eight colleges where he applied. What is he most looking forward to in college? “Probably the people I'm going to meet because as much as I'm going to miss everyone that I've been going to school with since I was three years old, it's going to be really interesting to be with students from all over the country and maybe all over the world. That's going to be fascinating.”
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La Jolla, CA 92037
858-453-3440
© 2024 La Jolla Country Day School
Privacy Policy
COVID-19 Prevention Plan
