Experiences
Global Competency
During the Spring 2022 semester, I had the chance to study abroad at NYU Abu Dhabi with my GLASS cohort. Throughout the semester, I got to take classes like Biomechanics, Biomaterials, and Genetics. Between my classes and experiencing life in Abu Dhabi, one of my biggest takeaways was learning how the healthcare system differs from the United States. The dedication to novel research and technology to improve access to healthcare is a focus in the UAE. I developed valuable research skills, cultural competency, and connections to my peers and mentors.
One of my favorite classes at NYUAD was Genetics, taught by Dr. Idaghdour. In this course, I learned about the fundamentals of genetic and cellular processes, as well as how the field genetic engineering is growing today! I had my first experience performing sequencing analysis, parsing through various sequences to identify the origin of inherited diseases. I also got to perform my first PCR training, learning how the UAE processed numerous amounts of COVID-19 tests.
Commitment to Service
Over the summer of 2023, I had the incredible experience of volunteering at a hospital in Arusha, Tanzania. I joined several other GLASS and Pre-Health students in working with patients and hospital staff. This experience was not only gratifying, it was also monumental in allowing me to understand healthcare systems in other countries. Through my GLASS Project, I am to improve access to healthcare, especially in low- and middle-income countries. During this trip, I was able to understand the deficits in the healthcare systems of LMIC's, as well as see what is lacking in the US healthcare system. Specifically, I saw how lower-income countries rely on low-cost, quick-result diagnostic tests to diagnose communicable and non-communicable diseases. By gaining a holistic understanding of this system, I can better design solutions to help patients around the world gain help.
Another component of my service was when I volunteered at NYU's Model UN Conference. Here, I worked in the back-room with other volunteers to facilitate discussions between the high school student participants, teaching them how to engage in political debate in a thoughtful, yet fun, way!
Leadership
During my junior year, I took on some very exciting leadership roles at Tandon! I joined the Undergraduate Committee of the Biomedical Engineering Society (BMES) and was involved in planning the "Meet the Professionals: A Recruiting Event". I aided in contacting research and industry professionals and connecting them to several CBE students. Additionally, I joined the CBE Department as an Undergraduate Student Assistant. Within this role, I am organizing several events to improve the professional development of CBE students.
Additionally, I also took on the role of Peer Ambassador within the GLASS Program. Working with my fellow teammates, I helped organize numerous events to help my GLASS community engage with each other and foster new relationships! One of my favorite events was when I got to share my personal experiences throughout my undergrad journey with underclassmen to help them organize their schedules and seek more professional and academic opportunities.
Being able to connect students with professional opportunities has been such an enriching experience. As a BMS student, I understand how difficult it can be to gain relevant opportunities, especially within an engineering and tech dominated space. By bridging this gap, I am able to bring students closer towards their goals and lead qualified and talented individuals into the CBE field!
Academic Excellence
Over the summer of 2022, I took part in a bioengineering lab through NYU Tandon's Undergraduate Summer Research Program. My role was fabricating a microfluidic chip for cytokine detection, which could be used in early detection of diseases, like COVID-19. It was my first experience in a bioresearch lab, and I gained several valuable skills, like wet lab experience and project development. This paper was then published to the Biosensors and Bioelectronics journal, becoming my very first published research paper!
I also earned a writing award from the Technology, Culture, and Society Department for a paper discussing food insecurity and community land trusts! I formulated how to best increase access to food for lower income populations and discussed the importace of community land trusts in creating equal opportunities for all metropolitan populations.
Professional Development
In Fall 2022, I attended the annual Society of Women's Engineering Conference in Houston, Texas. I was able to network with several biopharmaceutical companies, like Regeneron, Pfizer, and AstraZeneca, and talk with professionals in the Research and Development space. I learned how to further hone my skills and projects such that I can create a portfolio of holistic experiences that will be used for my future endeavors.
In Summer 2023, I furthered my professional development by taking a Data Analytics course with the Global Tech Experience! I was introduced to SQL, and developed my knowledge of Python. Utilizing these two programming languages, I learned how to parse through complex data. My final project was to analyze data from the Grammys in order to make conclusions about how they can improve marketing to their customer base.
Here are some other projects that I have worked on...
