Throughout the duration of my high school career, I participated in Hathaway Brown School’s Science Research and Engineering Program. This STEM program offered me the opportunity to conduct scientific research in a professional lab. For 4 years, I worked in the Department of Dermatology at Case Western University. In my specific study, I determined whether specific endotypes had an influence on skin disease, Psoriasis, and analyzed blood samples through cool machinery and optics, like flow cytometry. I learned how to operate the laboratory machines, perform and record specific data calculations, and even analyzed human DNA under a microscope. I participated in the poster session annually in which I presented my research to family, friends, alumni, and guest scientists.
Towards the end of my experience, I wrote a 20-page scientific manuscript that compiled the background and data of my research. With this manuscript, I entered two prestigious competitions, Regeneron and STS. Throughout this long, extended process and experience, I developed a passion for science and research that influenced me to develop an interest in dermatology, a potential career path I have in mind now.
