My name is Simran Sidhu and I am a rising sophomore at the University of Washington. I joined iGEM because I wanted to gain experience in a research setting and synthetic biology was so innovative. Instead, I got the opportunity to be a part of something much greater! I met industry leaders who inspired me, created curriculum and held outreach events to inspire others. I found a community of people who pushed intellectual and cultural boundaries for the advancement of synthetic biology and (most importantly) global change.