“FSU taught me that I will never know the answers to everything, and that life is a continuing learning experience, and it is with these valuable tools that I have the foundation to continually investigate the questions to life.”
“As a graduate research assistant in the College of Human Sciences Skeletal Muscle Laboratory I have helped our research team investigate the effects of feeding 3 or 6 grams of β-hydoroxy-β-methylbutyrate (HMB) on indicators of muscle tissue degradation, damage, and performance” on untrained collegiate students, as well as in the elderly sarcopenic population.” Doing this research has taught Tej Diah valuable techniques in the laboratory, as well as data collection and analysis.
Tej is not just making advancements in the graduate and dental laboratory but also helps those in need by participating in a dental mission trip to provide healthcare to underserved Nicaraguan village communities through an International Service Learning outreach program. As part of a six person team, he learned how to diagnose certain dental ailments and provide first hand dental care under the supervision of Dr. Vargas, a local area dentist. He was forced to improvise since there were limited dental tools available; however, the team made a significant impact on the villages and collectively treated more than 120 patients across the entire age spectrum over a 5 day period. Tej says, “This trip solidified my passion to help the underserved and further amplified my ambition to receive a dental education.”
Back within the Tallahassee community, he has also worked with Jumpstart Tallahassee, a program aimed to help underprivileged 3-5 year old children through dialogical reading, arts and crafts, and teamwork methods. “I decided to participate in the Jumpstart program because I had a solid foundational framework growing up, and I knew the importance of being a role model, friend, and mentor to children during such an influential time in their development, and Jumpstart gave me the opportunity to be their springboard towards a positive future.” As well, Tej went to Camp Boggy Creek to work with children suffering from spina bifida, and felt that “the impact I made on the children cannot speak to the impact they left on me.”
His references say that many times, Tej thinks “outside the box”, and has unorthodox thinking for a college student. “If I could achieve one single realization in my lifetime, it would be to look in the mirror without seeing my reflection and instead seeing everybody.” Tej believes that everyone is connected and we are more similar than different. “My moral fiber threads my life’s purpose to help others, because helping others helps sustain the common thread we share, which ultimately helps each and every one of us.”
“The knowledge I received at FSU has influenced my philosophical questioning, my life purpose to help others, and most importantly made me realize that there are still many questions that I need to answer.” As a graduate student, Tej believes the more he learns about a topic, the more questions are created. “FSU taught me that I will never know the answers to everything, and that life is a continuing learning experience, and it is with these valuable tools that I have the foundation to continually investigate the questions to life.”