From Pre-Med to Physics: my PING effect

While in high-school, I was able to be part of the first cohort of students to attend the newly created ``Physicists Inspiring the Next Generation (PING): Exploring the Cosmos'' which run in the Summer 2014. The program exposed me to college (Hampton University and Norfolk State University), nuclear physics (Jefferson Lab) and radio-astronomy (Green Bank Observatory). My passion to astronomy kept growing, even after starting a pre-med track in college. Continuous interactions over the years with the program leaders and peers, allowed me to gain a summer experience at NSCL/FRIB in the Summer 2019 and eventually becoming a physics major at Michigan State University in the Spring 2020. This presentation is a short overview of my journey during and after my exposure to the PING program.