Laya,

That’s a great question! don’t think my interest in science suddenly appeared out of nowhere. It was more that “something” clicked at the right time.

For me, the biggest change came from being in the right classes at the same time. When I was 17, I took my first physics course while also learning calculus. Together, those subjects gave me a powerful new way to understand things I already cared about. Physics and math suddenly explained my everyday experiences: why a tennis ball curves through the air, or why pressing a piano key softly versus forcefully changes the sound. And so much more!

Before that, most of my science classes were biology and chemistry, which felt more abstract and unrelatable to me. And my math was mostly about solving equations for x, y, and z without much connection to real life. The combination of Physics and Calculus showed me that the things I learned in school could be used for exploring the rest of the world, not just random things in the classroom.

So I’d say the “stimulus” was discovering a new way to understand things I already loved. Once learning connects to the world you’re curious about, it can completely change how interesting it feels. From there, the curiosity tends to grow and take you to places you could never imagine before!