During the summer going into my junior year of high school I was fortunate enough to be selected to be a research intern in Nationwide Children’s Hospital Bakaletz lab. During this internship, I collaborated with my mentor and lab group to invent a vaccine to disrupt Non-typeable Haemophilus Influenzae’s biofilm formation, making ear infections easier to treat and prevent in children. During this internship, I was pleasantly surprised by the freedom I was given. Instead of being given a sheet with steps on it, I had to create those steps and document them in my lab journal so my experiments can be replicated. For this reason, a skill that I improved during this experience was my ability to trust the process. Since this project was my responsibility, I had to put all of my trust and faith into myself, and accept mistakes that I may make. There was no time for second guessing. I learned to think quickly, and double check even quicker. Working in a lab is unique and gratifying, not only did I make advances in the world of research, but I also made advances in my character. At the end of my internship I presented a poster project depicting my research to hospital staff. The research paper depicting my findings was published in October of 2019 to major biomedical databases such as PubMed. At this time, I was unaware of my love for neuroscience and psychology, so in the future, I plan to expand my research to these areas as well.
Posts
Global Awareness
I have attempted to expand my global awareness by being on the executive board of Mindversity. This student organization is a peer network dedicated to bringing awareness to and supporting BIPOC mental health. We strive to bridge the gaps between access to mental health resources and students of color on college campuses through peer support networks, education to reduce cultural stigma, and providing a platform with diverse resources. I was drawn to this position because I really want to work to bridge the gap between minority groups and mental health service seeking behaviors. The first step to ending this divide is by encouraging cultural competence, and the best way for this to be accomplished is through education. For this reason, I am also a speaker for YODJ (Youth Online Discussing Justice). In this position I facilitate and speak during events hosted by EYEJ. My position in the program is to empower and amplify the voices of teens and pre-teens, specifically those coming from a diverse cultural background or low income as well as educate youth about making good decisions, to invest positively into their future. Pre-pandemic, I also was a volunteer at Nationwide Children’s hospital. During my four years of volunteering here, I have worked with people from various ethnic backgrounds, immigrants who know very little English, people with disabilities, as well as people from various religions and ways of life.
Research Poster Presentation
This is a photograph of my poster project I presented after my research internship at Nationwide Children’s Hospital in 2018. I created this poster by compiling all of my research into a clear and easy to understand representation to educate graduate students and doctors. I selected this artifact because I am extremely proud of it. When I did all of this research I was only 16 and a junior in high school. I am extremely grateful that I had such a memorable and educational opportunity so early on. By working on this project, I realized my love for research, and how different it is than a typical science class. I also learned the importance of working with a team. If there was one lab member responsible to autoclave the pipet tips, and they failed to do so, the whole lab would not be able to function effectively until that task is done. Each of us had a lot of responsibility, and it was up to us to ensure that we all did our roles. This skill transfers into almost every aspect of life, such as in college and with relationships. This work was challenging and throughout the process I made some mistakes, however, I learned that there is no effort without error. The biggest personal takeaway I learned from this experience is in any experience, hard work and tenacity always pays off.
Mental Health Panel
This is a poster advertising an event that I spoke at with Advocates for Women of the World (AWOW) that took place on November 16th. I selected this artifact because it represents the first time I have been able to be a panel member in a discussion about mental health. I have attended and helped set up events where the psychologist that I intern for will speak, so it was exciting to be able to start speaking as well. Through this experience I learned the importance of community. By coming together and having a discussion about a topic that is heavily stigmatized in many cultures, and being able to share my advice and opinions about the topic was rewarding. I apply this same principle of the importance of education and community in my role in Mindversity. As diversity chair for this organization, I try to facilitate a sense of community in our organization, especially for these individuals who are statistically less likely to get mental health treatment, making them feel less alone, therefore encouraging them to openly talk about mental health, and get professional help if needed. In other endeavours, my experience speaking here allows me to bring forward good communication skills and the ability to deeply connect with and help others by relating my experiences to what others are going through.
About Me
Aspiring psychiatrist Taylor Johnson is a first year psychology major, Advocates for Communities and Education scholar, and diversity chair for student organization Mindversity. She is currently working as a psychology intern for a local psychologist. Taylor is also a speaker for EYEJ (Empowering Youth Exploring Justice). In high school she was also on the leadership board for challenge day which is an organization that aims to create a school community that is supportive, safe and empathetic to others’ life experiences including but not limited to bullying, violence, emotional trauma, and alienation. In this position, she facilitated small group activities to help students feel comfortable opening up and sharing their stories. She also has experience working with others in committees because in high school she was a part of her school’s superintendent advisory board. During her time on this committee, she discussed with fellow board mates the student’s view of Westerville City Schools to make important decisions regarding student wellbeing, improve our school’s sense of community, and improve educational resources. She was also a research intern in Nationwide Children’s Center for Microbial Pathogenesis, and has published research on PubMed and other online biomedical databases. Taylor is extremely passionate about equal access to mental health care, especially among marginalized people. As a psychiatrist, she hopes that she can aid in ending the stigma associated with mental health and foster a world where mental health matters just as much as physical health.