As a freshman, I honestly had no idea which stream I wanted to join after getting into FRI. Ironically, DIY Diagnostics was the first stream I researched and ended up being my first choice. I picked the DIY Diagnostics stream because I saw it as the stream with the largest potential to work on a project that would align with my interests. From both a biochemical and engineering design perspective, DIY Diagnostics offers a wide variety of potential projects to choose from. Additionally, the stream gives you a lot of freedom in pursuing your own projects, and the lab mentors and professor are extremely helpful in guiding you along the research process. Their guidance makes a big difference in being able to hit the ground running when it comes to research, and it was honestly this guidance that changed my opinion on research as a whole. It was through the help of others involved in FRI that research became something that was approachable. It went from a daunting and unachievable process to something with an end goal in sight. I came into FRI with the intention of getting my lab credits and leaving, but after working with everyone else here and making progress on my own project, I can see myself continuing research in one form or another for all my 4 years here at UT. FRI was one of the first sources of exposure to real research that I received, and it was the DIY stream that made it something I want to continue doing.