Sunday, May 5, 2013

Looking Back

Last October, I said that I was looking forward to my internship because I wanted to learn new things and experience a professional environment. After an amazing year, my internship has allowed me to do so much more than that. From the very beginning, I was integrated right into JP's lab and given as many hands-on jobs as possible. My only challenge was believing that I was capable of doing all JP thought I could! This year, I have had so much fun working with new equipment and processes in an environment that was not only professional, but encouraging for me to get involved. I have taken part in many different microarray experiments as well as smaller side projects, and I have had the opportunity to both set up experiments and analyze the data. Presenting my work to the school at the end of the year was an amazing opportunity for me to share my experiences with the Emma community. (Just to prove how supportive my mentors are, both JP and Dr. Karande came to Emma to see my presentation!) I would not trade my internship experience for anything, and I strongly encourage any Emma girl to do an internship if she is dedicated to the sciences and ready to experience what could come after Emma. My only suggestion for the program is to meet with the other interns more often so we can routinely share our experiences. My advice to future interns is don't be afraid to get involved. Everything may be overwhelming at first, but trust your mentors and you will have an amazing year! While it may sound like I am saying goodbye to my internship, I actually have the incredible opportunity to continue working in JP's lab over the summer. I thank everyone involved for an incredible year, and I can't wait to see what's next. Thank you for reading my blog! 

Presentation

Last Wednesday (May 1st), I presented the research from my internship to my school in our Student Achievement Assembly. I am so proud to be an example for all of the amazing work the Emma interns do, and presenting my work gave me a unique opportunity to expose the secret lives of the STEM girls. It was a great way to end a great year!