My home away from home on campus

My name is Amberlie Clutterbuck and I'm well on my way to graduating from Thomas More College in May.  I'm 22 years old but I feel much older, in part because of the responsibility and truth that the college strives to teach us, which has truly made a mark on my life.
I'm currently studying chemistry as my major and biology as my minor and I have big plans for the future.  I just finished applying to graduate schools, to, crazy enough, continue my education and delve deeper into the world of research and development.  I spend a vast majority of my time in the instrumental lab on the chemistry floor doing research, which I have designated as my first 'place.'  I have come to feel very safe and comfortable in there once I learned how to use all of the instruments and became particularly familiar with a few of them.  I'm sure many people may not understand how that room could feel like a second home to me, but it's the same as the art studio for an artist, a basketball court for a basketball player, or a library for a reader.  I feel at my intellectual best when I'm in the instrument lab, especially when I've discovered something new or intriguing.  The problems that I've solved in there and the immense amount of knowledge that has come out of that room can't be replaced and is essential to the student and the person I have become.