Christina Romero
Class of 2003-2006
Fredrick Douglas Academy
Presently: Cornell University
2006 Topic:
Topic: Characterization of Phenotype and Function of T cells and Antigen Presenting cells
About:
2005 Update
As a second year student of the Harlem Children Society program, I was placed at the same work site as last year - the Pathology lab at the Columbia Presbyterian Medical Center . During my stay in the lab, I learned a tremendous amount of information in addition to the mass amount learned last year.
We reviewed the same material as last year's project, but this year's work was more interesting because we worked more with patient samples. This year however, I left the program a few days earlier to attend college. I've chosen to attend Jacksonville University in Florida to major in Biology on the track of Pre-Veterinary Medicine.
I hope to foster some of the skills learned in this internship to assist me in any way possible in the future. I would recommend this to any high school student interested in reaching out and gaining that once in a lifetime experience, especially those interested in pursuing studies in medicine.
Past:
Over the summer, I was selected to work at Columbia Presbyterian as a laboratory intern. I was especially interested in participating in this type of internship because I am interested in studying in the veterinary field. When I arrived at the work site, I was assigned a lab, a work-study, a mentor and a co-worker. For the eight weeks that followed, I worked with the most diverse and influential group of people I have ever met.
The focus of the lab I was assigned was to find ways in which patients wouldn't incur organ rejection after receiving heart transplants. Although I was completely new and unfamiliar to this field of study, the scientists who had been doing this for several years made me feel very comfortable and made themselves available upon request. I was able to develop relationships with these people by utilizing my social skills and asking questions.
The work in the lab I worked in also required great responsibility. I was assigned projects that involved work with real blood and heart samples and the use of expensive equipment. For many assignments, my calculations were trusted and recorded as final. In addition, I was able to learn many of the basic lab techniques in the training course. I gained an overwhelming amount of information during my stay at the Columbia Presbyterian. I doubt that I would have ever stopped to realize that one-third of people who receive heart transplants die each year from heart failure, and that there is a way to help save lives; and most importantly, that I can be a part of that.
During this experience, I also learned how privileged I was to be a part of such a foundation. I was introduced the internship through my chemistry teacher, Mr. Hearn. He then, introduced me to Dr. Bhattacharya, who paid my school a visit to interview the students interested. We were all curious to find out what kind of work this would involve, as the idea of working with real blood at first didn’t seem real to us. The interview was rather interesting, because I felt very relaxed but very enthusiastic about being part of such program. After I was selected, I attended a private orientation session with my parent and Dr. Bhattacharya. It was here that I learned of the great opportunities I had open myself up to by joining this project. I would gain lab experience and work alongside professional doctors and scientists.
Another benefit of being a part of the program of the Harlem Children Society was being able to interact with the other students from other schools that were also part of the internships. At the Columbia Presbyterian, I became a goods friend with a girl that I doubt I would have ever met without my participation in the program. I also doubt that I will ever look at lab researchers and doctors in the same again, after learning how much of an important role they play in the lives of millions of people who depend on them to improve their quality of life. These doctors and scientists also contribute to the growing number of successful heart transplants that occur each year. The feeling of being a part of such study is not only is great internally, but is a great impact on how important it is for an increasing amount of people to become involved in the medical field.
Most importantly, I learned how important it is to have a great education in the world today. I am aware that my career goal of becoming a veterinarian requires intense schooling, such as medical schools and training courses. However, the success and confidence of the scientists at Columbia displayed how important it is to not give up and remain determined to pursue a career in what I love doing most.