Goals

1. Improving professional communication in both writing and speaking.

   1. In order to improve my communication via writing and speaking, I will be working with staff members in taking charge of the social media pages. Working with the KTB socials will help work on communicating to the public various information. I will attend festivals with my team to obtain experience in educating and communicating with the public. In addition, I hope to plan our tissue collecting event with my supervisor.

2. Obtaining research skills

   1. Going into healthcare will require research to understand the development of medical procedures and discoveries. It is in my notion to learn the skills needed to become a good researcher. Especially since research and lab work is a huge interest of mine. To learn these skills in my internship, I will be working on analyzing scientific articles that use our data. By annotating and reviewing these articles, I can learn how data is presented and obtained, the format and voice used in research presentations, and the value it has on a subject.

3. Learning how to network

   1. Networking is an important skill to have in any career. In order to obtain the necessary skills, I will be attending KTB meetings with my supervisor and event with our staff that involves the community. Events such as festivals where the KTB tables to educate and recruit future donors. These events allow me to practice not only my communication skills but also my networking by introducing myself and meeting other people.

I have had the chance to collaborate with many members of the KTB team. Working with them has allowed me to work on my communication skills by contacting them through email or in the office. To work on social media posts, most of our posts came through email.

During the course of my internship, I have read a couple of scientific journals and articles that used our tissue samples for their research. I have seen how the data is stored on our website, how it is requested, and how it is used by researchers all over the world. This was a huge step of progress into the research world that I would like a part of.

I have also attended a fundraiser with my team and interacted with attendees to inform them of our mission. Some of the events we were supposed to attend were canceled. I hadn't had a lot of opportunities to interact with the public. However, through the hospital, I have met another breast cancer organization called Biospecimen Collection & Banking Core (BC²). I have met many of their members and seen what they manage and do.

• My current career and academic goals revolve around medicine. My main career goal is to become a physician and devote myself to helping low-funded communities. I grew up in a fortunate community and household, but I have seen and heard so much from those who are not as fortunate as I am. Just a short drive away, I can see communities that are poorly funded and cared for. I want to make sure that families have one less thing to worry about: their health. Families should not have to suffer and worry because they cannot afford or access basic healthcare. I hope by contributing my time and devotion, I will make a difference in the access of healthcare. Maybe I can start an organization with other inspired health workers; either way, I want to see my contribution take place in some shape or form. By providing access to healthcare, many diseases and illnesses can be prevented. The road to accomplishing this goal isn't easy but is feasible with the right education, determination, and support. That is why my goal in academics is to get into medical school or go to an MD/Ph.D. program. I want to combine my love for medicine and research and apply it back to the community. Using the skills and education on this route will help me achieve my career goals. Knowing this, I must prepare to work hard persistent in undergrad and in life.

• All throughout high school, I had researched followed dentistry. At first, I was set on becoming a dentist; until I realized my strengths wouldn't have been used for their full potential in that field. As a curious person, I needed a career that would keep me on my toes with questions and answers. In medicine, there is so much room for specialties and interests. I have a chance to learn so much and continue learning through my career as a physician. I am a strong advocator and through medicine, the opportunity to fight for the health of my patients induces with me. In medicine, my passion for research and communication will configure nicely. I want a career where my current goals can be applied to. As a physician, my set goals would reflect through my job.

• Throughout my time at IUPUI, I will have many chances to further explore medicine. I have started volunteering at a clinic here in Indy through the VIDA organization. I will be volunteering at the front desk and checking in patients and their paperwork. This opportunity itself will provide me with the basic clinic experience. Knowing how clinics run and feel will allow me to appreciate medicine more and inspire me to work harder to achieve my goals. I have thought about applying for a research job in the summer to gain research experience as an undergrad. However, the majority of the time, I will try to attend as many webinars and events that revolve around medicine and research. My biggest source of information will come from actual doctors and researchers, which is why I have decided to shadow different positions in the future. All of these ideas will help my knowledge on my career goal grow and through there, I will know where I fit.

• To achieve my career goals, I must work on increasing my experience and knowledge. During this semester, I will be training to become a Clinic Manager at the VIDA SOC-IU Clinic. This experience will encourage me to take the leadership roles I have and expand it to my full potential. To become a successful physician, I must be prepared to work and communicate with professionals and patients. As a clinic manager, I will be able to practice and learn how to collaborate and communicate effectively. Since applying to LHSI, my goals have stayed roughly the same. I still intend to work on my career goals by learning and experiencing the field I am interested in. This month, I am planning on spending time researching programs that relate to the multiple medical specialties I am interested in. I have seen many research programs but nothing catered to my interests yet. I aim to find a research program by the end of the spring where I can gain hands-on experience and further enhance my knowledge. By this time next year, I hope to have gained lots of experience that I will use in my personal statement as I began to study for the MCAT and prepare for the application cycle.

• Throughout the time I have spent at the internship, I have grown to like research. As of now, I am thinking of combining my passion for medicine and research into one. I have enjoyed the process of taking data or samples and analyzing them. Seeing how mammograms and patient data help researchers look for a cure for breast cancer amazes me. Because of my internship, I have started to look at MD/Ph.D. programs and medical careers that involve research and clinical trials. My confidence in my knowledge and preference has put me in a tough spot. Since falling for research, I have become lost when it comes to the specialty I would like to go with and the programs I want to apply with. I have decided to keep it slow and work on getting as much experience in research and clinical settings before coming up with a decision.