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Networking has become a powerful tool in the workplace.

By Ted Pasquette ’24

When I first received the email about the HD program, I wasn’t sure what to expect. The email entailed me to attend a dinner with Dean McCrae and other Davidson students, whom I wasn’t familiar with. Upon consideration, I said why not. I mean, who could resist a free dinner right? Well during the dinner, I had the pleasure of meeting many young men of color who were desirous of undertaking various career paths in life. I heard many different passions from healthcare, environmental advocacy, computer science, social justice, banking, English and even aerospace engineering. This single dinner would embark the series of networking events that HD would host for us. The group and I met once more to discuss our next step in traveling to Washington D.C. There, we would expand on our network and potentially make a lasting impression on companies that we might be interested in working for.

Networking. Networking has become a powerful tool in the workplace. Today, many jobs are obtained by merely knowing an insider who can put in a good word for you. The HD program highlighted this notion in their career workshop. You never really know who you meet and what connections they may have. You might encounter someone who is outside your field of interest who can link you with someone that is, which is why it’s very important to leave a lasting impression on anyone that you meet. I am thankful for HD to have incorporated a presentation on how to conduct ourselves in a professional space and key points for success in networking events.

Furthermore, we had a strength session where we defined and elaborated on our top 5 talents and how we can utilize them to achieve our goals. Everybody is different and we each possess our unique skills to traverse our endeavors in life. If we can become aware of those skills and realize their feasibility, we can further cultivate and build upon them to maximize our potential for success.

Let me emphasize that the trip to Washington D.C. was FREE. In 3 days, we indulged in a networking event with Davidson Alumni, we engaged with HR&A Advisors Inc., Deloitte, and Virginia Union University, and we also had the opportunity to tour the National Museum of African American History and Culture. On top of all that, we had extra time to explore what the capital of Washington D.C. had to offer!

I met an array of wonderful people during the HD program. The program Directors, Ashley Bodie, Raquel Dailey, Joy Massenberg and Nadia Campbell are some of the most amazing individuals you will ever meet. They entrusted us with all the tools necessary to engage in our visits. They also took the initiative to make sure everyone was always all right. I encourage anyone who can take part in the program to take full advantage of this opportunity! You’ll leave the program with valuable skills that will benefit you in the professional world!

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Don’t Count Tech Sales Out

Nicole Krykanov (’21) and her Manager at Meltwater

My name is Nicole and I’m a recent Davidson grad (c/o 2021)! I’ve been a Sales Consultant at Meltwater for about 8 months now, and I could not have found a better first job right out of college. All throughout my time at Davidson, I found myself searching so hard for what I wanted to do with my future. Being at such a prestigious school, you find yourself around so many goal-oriented peers that have an exact vision of what their future looks like, and I wanted to have everything figured out just like them. So, I found myself bouncing from major to major, hoping so badly that I would find my passion. Well, I did. Originally wanting to be pre-med when I came to Davidson, I found my passion in the study of psychology during my sophomore year. However, one of the beautiful things about liberal arts is that your major does not dictate your career. My passion for psychology in the classroom did not have to translate into practice or post-grad research, but instead could be a passion that I can have outside of a career. All of this being said, come senior spring I still had no idea what I wanted to do with my career. And it turns out I didn’t have to. The day before graduation, I accepted a tech sales position at Meltwater, a media intelligence software company. When I was applying for jobs, I never ever wanted to apply to a sales role. I looked down upon the idea of being a “salesperson,” and felt that there was a stigma around a type of job like this. Little did I know, accepting this sales position would be the best career decision for me. Being an athlete all four years at Davidson, I needed a role that kept me motivated and on my toes. Not only does the role excite me, but every day I learn something new about different industries and job markets, pushing me one step closer to finding the career I’ve been spending so much time worrying about. At the end of the day, sales isn’t a good fit for everyone. But, I would be amiss if I didn’t share my great experience at my company and in this industry, especially for those seniors who are in the same position as I was. For the seniors searching for jobs – good luck & don’t stress!! Please reach out if you want to learn more about Meltwater/tech sales… or just to chat – my cell is (757) 635-6521 and my email is nkrykanov@gmail.com 🙂 

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Learning how to think like a scientist and grieve like a human being: my research experience at the Gates Center

By: Ellie Mackintosh

When I arrived at the Gates Center, I was at a personal inflection point. Academically, I had just finished my first year at Davidson and was beginning to entertain the idea that I wanted to be a professor. My biology and chemistry classes had affirmed my love for science, and I was ready to gain experience in a laboratory setting.

At the same time, I was processing the sudden and tragic loss of my godfather to a heart attack. I share this because it provides important context to my research experience. I didn’t begin my internship with dogged ambition or assuredness. Rather, I showed up adrift in the tumult, fragility, and devastation of an all-encompassing grief.

My time at the Gates Center, therefore, became the stage for both professional and personal development. I learned how to articulate my emotional challenges to the PI (Principal Investigator, or the scientist in charge of the lab). She worked with me to set a new schedule, adjust our research expectations, and provide the flexibility I needed.

Simultaneously, I gained exposure to a wide range of exciting research techniques. PCR, gel electrophoresis, necropsies, and western blots became physical practices instead of simply theories in a textbook. I observed surgeries and attended weekly seminars where research scientists presented their work. Because I was considering a career in medicine, the internship arranged for me to shadow a physician at the Anschutz Medical Campus. The directors of the program also organized group outings and projects that grounded us in the wider Denver community.

While I expected the Gates Center Summer Internship Program to change the way I look at research, I did not anticipate how it would impact my self-perception. From the moment I started in the lab, I felt like a scientist. My curiosity was valued, my contributions were validated, and my presence, especially as a young person navigating grief, was affirmed. The program helped me find the confidence I needed to continue pursuing a career in research, confidence upon which I’m currently drawing as I apply to chemistry PhD programs.

I will always be grateful for my time at the Gates Center. I’m thrilled that more Davidson students will have the chance to benefit from such an extraordinary opportunity.

CLICK HERE, to learn more about about the Gates Center Summer Internship Program.

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Consulting Close to Home with Point B

Following graduation, Davidson alumni Laura Hiatt ‘18 and Henry Flores ‘21 found careers in consulting at Point B, an employee-owned consulting firm with 13 locations across the United States, including Charlotte, North Carolina. Hear from Laura and Henry about their experiences as consulting Analysts, and why Point B stood out to them among other opportunities afterlife at Davidson.

Why did you choose Point B?

Laura: Point B’s culture! Our values and actions aim to always do the right thing, which I find reminiscent of Davidson’s Honor Code. Here, I feel at home. Further, I am able to have a career where I work on a variety of consulting projects while maintaining a healthy work-life balance.

Henry: The people and the size. I interned at a larger firm and a boutique consulting firm before interning at Point B. I really enjoyed that there wasn’t a strict hierarchy and protocol (which is custom at bigger companies) and yet I still had many resources at my disposal at smaller firms. Everyone here is willing to help and genuinely get to know you outside of work no matter how senior!

What kinds of projects and clients are you working with?

Laura: I am currently working with a Utilities client on a data centralization and analytics project. So far I’ve worked in nine different industries on projects ranging from strategy to process optimization over the past two and a half years.

Henry: I’m working on a supply chain strategy and operations project for a multi-national electrical manufacturing company. This is my first full-time project and I’ve already learned so much. Constantly learning was something I valued at Davidson and I’m glad I can continue to do so here at Point B.

How has Point B maintained its culture with the shift to remote work?

 Laura: Our culture has continued via virtual happy hours, lunches, and coffees where we can connect with our coworkers. However, we are starting to have outdoor in-person gatherings to maintain our sense of community. We also have a quarterly stipend where we can take our family out to a meal on Point B to extend our culture to the communities we have outside of our Point B team.

Henry: Point B continues to support both virtual and in-person events. Some of the virtual events I’ve attended have been coffee chats and lunch & learns. I’ve also participated in the Point B Getaway Weekend in Las Vegas to catch up with company-wide members. These have been my favorite memories by far.

What kind of early-career support does Point B provide Analysts?

Laura: Point B provides internal professional development opportunities as well as an external training stipend. During your first year, you complete the Foundations Program where one of your peers works through lessons with you about Point B’s culture, our Employee Stock Ownership Plan (ESOP), Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI), etc. and answers any questions you may have. Experienced leaders on your project or in your local office are always willing to provide guidance as well.

Henry: In addition to Foundations, each employee is assigned a 1-on-1 partner who serves as a guide to help answer any questions and a coach to help you reach your long-term goals. The Analyst Accelerator is also a valuable development experience. During this first week, members of your new hire cohort come together to form connections, meet with directors and company leaders to learn about Point B as a whole, and practice the skills you will use on the job!

How can Point B Analysts shape their career outside of just client projects?

Laura: Point B Analysts can shape their career by participating in a variety of internal roles in addition to client service delivery. For example, I am a Foundations Partner (a peer support to those completing their first year at Point B), a Campus Ambassador (help with campus recruiting in our Charlotte market), and I run our Charlotte Geo biweekly calls (hooray for PowerPoint and public speaking).

Henry: While there is a lot of support for new analysts, you are also given a lot of autonomy to pursue your passions and grow. There are groups you can get involved with such as communities of interest (e.g. Financial Services, Nextcontinent) and communities of practice (e.g. change management, data, and analytics). Personally, I’ve been involved in formalizing and growing the employee-led Hispanic & LatinX at Point B Business Resource Group (BRG) which seeks to create a space for Hispanic & LatinX Point B’ers to foster personal and professional growth, empowerment, and inclusion which are all very important to me.

To learn more about Point B and explore entry-level positions, visit the Students and Graduates section at careers.pointb.com

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Learning The Value of Networking & Professional Development Throughout My DIF Experience

By Emily Roebuck ’20, Davidson Impact Fellow with Atrium Health/McKay Urology

The last few months have been full of networking and professional development, as well as understanding the major operational considerations behind systemic change. In December, we completed our Social Determinants of Health Screening (SDOH) Pilot in the urology department, which demonstrated a high level of unmet social need among our patient population and the feasibility of developing workflow around SDOH. Time since then has involved extensive data review, literature dives, and evaluation of next steps from which I am coming away with several important lessons learned.

First, I am continually amazed by the amount of knowledge that already exists around addressing SDOH and understanding their impact on health outcomes. This reminds me that while my first reaction upon seeing a problem might be to find a way to solve it, it is important to first evaluate if someone has already done that work before you, because oftentimes, they have. In my literature dive, I see that many clinicians, public health workers, and policy makers have been shouting from the rooftops about the impact of SDOH on patient and population health for years—specifically since the 1980s from what I see. So, as we figure out our next steps in implementing more permanent change around addressing SDOH in urology, we do not necessarily need to reinvent the wheel or create any novel intervention. Rather, we need to open our eyes and ears to learn from those who have been participating and leading in this work before us.

This brings me to my next learning point, which is the great value in networking. I was apprehensive to ask too many questions when I first arrived for fear of bothering those with already-busy schedules and in my mind, more important tasks to attend. Yet having now seen the wealth of work already being done in healthcare around SDOH, I have been compelled to seek out conversations within and outside of Atrium to explore opportunities for learning and when possible, system alignment. From each of these contacts, I have left with a deeper understanding of their current efforts, as well as seen how many people in this space are also eager for knowledge sharing and initiative overlap. For instance, I reached out to Health Leads, a community service organization, after reading about their program in a review. From there, I have been connected with several folks over at Duke who have implemented an SDOH screening and patient navigation model which would greatly benefit our practice here. In addition to learning things that work well, I can also see previous barriers based on their experience that I might not have otherwise considered.

While I might have known these lessons before, seeing their importance in real-time has certainly cemented their value —and above all, patients and communities will be better helped as a result of this collaborative learning.

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My DIF Experience with Winship Cancer Institute

By Claire Sibold ’20

I can’t believe I’ve been working in this role for almost five months now. When I started working at Winship Cancer Institute back in August, everything felt so foreign; it was hard to believe that I would be overseeing an ethics research project for a full year, writing papers that would be submitted for publication, and collaborating with such impressive people at Winship. Five months later, I still find myself in awe that I’m lucky enough to have had these unique experiences become familiar and part of my everyday routine. As I reflect on my time thus far, one theme that has emerged as central to all of the interesting projects we’ve worked on, which is the multiple layers and voices that work together to achieve one overarching goal: improving the patient experience.


This theme became apparent based on how many Oncologists, nurses, and other healthcare providers cared about our ethics projects. It’s been an amazing opportunity to work with healthcare professionals in such a collaborative manner and to see how engaged they are in our ethics projects, hoping to contribute in any way to improving the patient experience. It’s encouraging to see the value that’s placed on the patient voice at all levels of care at Winship–a philosophy I will strive to embody as I work towards becoming a physician. I’m so grateful for the time remaining in the fellowship to continue these meaningful and eye-opening collaborations.

Additionally, I have also been amazed at patient willingness to participant in ethics studies that may help a patient have a better experience in the future. As my main project, I’ve been interviewing patients enrolled on clinical trials for treatments that have never been tested in humans before. We are interviewing patients to get their input on how to structure these informed consent forms so the information is accessible and understandable for the patients as they consider enrolling in the trials. I have loved being a part of this project because I feel it represents Winship’s commitment to quality patient care: that it starts with informed consent, even before the patient has started treatment. This has made me aware of just how multi-layered and collaborative healthcare improvements are. I continue to be inspired by such encounters, and look forward to continuing to engage with patients and providers as we all strive to improve their cancer care from different angles.

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Why is Tuck Business Bridge Too Good to Miss?

By Qiya (Kaye) Mao, Davidson College ’21 (Economics, Political Science)

Why is Tuck Business Bridge too good to miss?

Do you have a vague interest in business, but feel underprepared to take on a whole internship yet? If that’s the case, you’d benefit a lot from the Tuck Business Bridge Program. At a liberal arts college like Davidson, you most likely have been taught to think critically and creatively, and have extensively practiced these principles in various settings. What could be better than getting to apply the insights you’ve gained at Davidson in a business-oriented, professionally driven context? At Tuck Business Bridge, you’ll meet and team up with like-minded peers to embark on a thrilling journey that will help you develop a comprehensive understanding of what business is all about, as well as acquire a shiny set of practical skills that will significantly strengthen your candidacy in the job market.

How does it work?

Since we’re still living in a pandemic-affected reality, the winter session of Tuck Business Bridge I participated in was, once again, all virtual. While completing the program online inevitably meant certain elements from in-person interactions couldn’t be fully replicated, you’d be wrong to think the virtual version of the program is less content-packed and valuable than the on-site one. You should be ready to tackle new challenges in all directions on a daily basis, whether that requires smart time management in your six-people study groups, resilient patience in the face of complicated accounting and finance concepts, or informed confidence in optional mock interviews with MBA students at Tuck School of Business. There will be long days and odd hours of studying, collaborating, and striving for improvements even in the slightest details. You will be so tired of Zoom and Canvas afterwards, but you will finish the program feeling supported and accomplished.

What are the selling points?

The benefits of participating in the Tuck Business Bridge Program are highly tangible:

– You’ll know how to locate, look into, extract meaningful data from financial statements of publicly traded companies, and use tools embedded in Excel to build a discounted cash flow (DCF) model that’ll allow you to form an evidence-backed opinion about the per share value of a company.

– You’ll practice leadership in ways you find comfortable and uneasy as you navigate evolving team dynamics in multiple settings, whether that’s within your program study group or within randomly formed Zoom breakout groups, regardless of the significance of tasks expected to be completed.

– You’ll receive ample feedback from your professors, your Bridge Associates (i.e. TAs in the program), as well as your peers in almost anything you do during the program, so much so that it’d be difficult not to form the habit of being more intentional in self-reflections on your decisions and actions.

– Any of the above-listed points can make you more marketable to a future employer. Better yet, having Tuck Business Bridge on your resume in and of itself makes you stand out from the crowd, not to mention you’ll get to join a vibrant Bridge alumni network upon graduating from the program.

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Working Together… Apart

By Emma Blake ’20

In the past several months, I’ve done a lot in my Impact Fellow Role at MAHEC. I’ve helped give presentations to doctors about novel treatment options. I’ve written and prepared an article for publication in a major journal. I’ve familiarized myself with the complexities of maternal healthcare and treatments for substance use disorders. And I’ve done most of these things from home.

Working from home has come with a unique set of benefits and disadvantages. On the positive side, I’ve had more control over when to do my work, and I’ve been able to avoid many of the small frustrations of office life like a morning commute or someone microwaving fish in the break room. On the negative side though, working from home often leaves me feeling disconnected from the work I’m doing, my coworkers, and the community that my work is supposed to support. Zoom meetings are fine for updating the research team on the latest developments, but they can’t replace the small daily interactions between team members that build up our sense of communal support and camaraderie.


What I think I’m missing most is a feeling of community and shared purpose. At Davidson, most of my work was grounded in the community and the feeling that other students and professors had my back. Working from home has led to me only knowing my coworkers as coworkers, not as people with unique stories, interests, and personalities. Even though we’re all working towards the same goal, we’re doing so separately and individually. It’s been a jarring feeling and a challenging adjustment.


The major exception to this feeling is when I go into the maternal healthcare clinic on Thursdays. On those days, I get to interact with patients and talk to my coworkers face-to-face. It’s such a different feeling from a digital meeting. When I work with the patients, I’m reminded that my work is really helping people and making a difference in my newly adopted community of Asheville. I became interested in healthcare generally and the Davidson Impact Fellowship at MAHEC specifically because I wanted to help people and create positive change in my community. Working from home has left me feeling disconnected from that purpose, but my time in the clinic constantly reminds me that my work has value and is serving to benefit people in need. I can’t wait until I can go back to the office, engage with my coworkers in a supportive community, and feel that shared sense of purpose every day.

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What You Should Know About The Dartmouth Tuck Business Bridge Program

By the Tuck Business Bridge Team

With the shift to virtual, remote learning in March, Tuck Business Bridge got to work making plans to deliver its summer programs virtually. The goal was simple – deliver the same high-touch, rigorous, and comprehensive program, but in an online environment. The team sought to not only replicate the residential program remotely, but to make the program even stronger by leveraging some of the benefits of virtual connection, such as special guests and increased alumni networking. On Zoom, students attended live classes, interacted with faculty, met with MBA mentors, worked with peers in study groups, completed business simulations, valued a company, participated in 1-1 resume reviews, mock interviewed, attended career workshops, and so much more. The summer was a success, with 97% of participants saying they would recommend the program to a friend.

What did Davidson students who participated this past summer think? We spoke with Chelsea Savage ‘21, Alex Gomez ‘21, and Alexandra Romero ’20 about the program – why they chose it, what they learned, and the value it provided.

Why Bridge?

Alex Gomez: As a Political Science major who’s interested in pursuing business, I wanted to learn basic knowledge and skills in order to ease this transition and gain an edge in the recruiting process. I was able to take introductory courses in Finance, Marketing, and Spreadsheet Modeling, all of which aren’t offered at Davidson.

What did the program provide?

Chelsea Savage: I came into the program with little career direction and a weak understanding of business, and I left with a focused career path and skills I will be able to display in interviews and use in the workplace.

Alex Gomez: There were also some amazing resources for networking, with lots of opportunities to hone your interviewing skills and explore different types of business careers. Additionally, I really enjoyed working with my study group throughout the program – it was nice to make friends despite the virtual circumstances, and the experience of collaborating as part of a team will serve me well in the future.

Alexandra Romero: This experience has equipped me with quantitative analytical skills in preparation for my career. Outside of the program’s curriculum, I have been able to tap into a helpful network that I am extremely grateful for.

What was your favorite class?

Alex Gomez: My favorite class was Marketing. I didn’t know much about it before, and it was really interesting and has changed my perspective on certain things like job interviews, the media, and business in general. The MarkStrat simulation was my favorite part of the program.

What company did you choose for the capstone project?


Chelsea Savage: Gap

Alex Gomez: GrubHub

Alexandra Romero: Chipotle

How was the virtual delivery?

Chelsea Savage: I am extremely thankful for the Tuck Bridge team and the work they put in to make the online program just as accessible and supportive as it would have been on Dartmouth’s campus. Even though it was virtual, the invaluable connections I was able to make with peers, career professionals, and recruiters gave me the boost I needed to solidify my professional skills.

Alex Gomez: I thought the virtual format went as well as it could. While Zoom fatigue was inevitable, I still learned a ton and was able to bond with my study group.

What is your biggest take away?

Alex Gomez: The ability to work in a team is arguably the most important skill in business (and is crucial for life in general).

Alexandra Romero: This program gave me the ability to speak confidently about business topics that I otherwise would have not been able to speak on as an Environmental Studies major.

Would you recommend the program?

Chelsea Savage: If you are interested in business at all, I would highly recommend applying!

Alex Gomez: I would definitely recommend Bridge to anyone who is interested in a business career.

Want to learn more about the Tuck Business Bridge program? Visit the website, attend one of our virtual events, or reach out to recruiting manager, Sarah Chapin at sarah.b.chapin@tuck.dartmouth.edu

Read their testimonials below:

Chelsea Savage ’21 | Sociology

I really enjoyed my virtual experience with Tuck. I came into the program with little career direction and a weak understanding of business, and I left with a focused career path and skills I will be able to display in interviews and use in the workplace. Even though it was virtual, the invaluable connections I was able to make with peers, career professionals, and recruiters gave me the boost I needed to solidify my professional skills. I am extremely thankful for the Tuck Bridge team and the work they put in to make the online program just as accessible and supportive as it would have been on Dartmouth’s campus. If you are interested in business at all, I would highly recommend applying!

Alex Gomez ’21 | Political Science

I really enjoyed my experience at Tuck Bridge. As a Political Science major who’s interested in pursuing business, I wanted to learn basic knowledge and skills in order to ease this transition and gain an edge in the recruiting process. I was able to take introductory courses in Finance, Marketing, and Spreadsheet Modeling, all of which aren’t offered at Davidson. I found the fast-paced and rigorous nature of the program to be quite rewarding, and was surprised at how much content was covered over three weeks. There were also some amazing resources for networking, with lots of opportunities to hone your interviewing skills and explore different types of business careers. Additionally, I really enjoyed working with my study group throughout the program – it was nice to make friends despite the virtual circumstances, and the experience of collaborating as part of a team will serve me well in the future. We did a company valuation of Grubhub for our final project, and it was really cool to combine what we learned in class with real-life research and analysis of the mobile food delivery industry. Overall, I would definitely recommend Bridge to anyone who is interested in a business career.

Alexandra Romero ‘20 | Environmental Studies

My role in my team was to research and analyze Chipotle’s digital strategy and describe how it contributed to our Chipotle valuation. This program gave me the ability to speak confidently about business topics that I otherwise would have not been able to speak on as an Environmental Studies major. This experience has equipped me with quantitative analytical skills in preparation for my career. Outside of the program’s curriculum, I have been able to tap into a helpful network that I am extremely grateful for.

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A Summer of Learning About Myself and My Future Impact on Our Healthcare System

By Valeria Donoso ’22

As I grew up around a family of immigrants, I saw constant struggle and strength but also perseverance. It is very important to me that the work I commit to is surrounded around improving the lives of those like my families. Throughout the year, I volunteer at the Ada Jenkin’s Free Clinic as a Spanish translator. While volunteering, I see my family’s struggle and resilience in the marginalized groups we serve. After my exposure to inequitable healthcare, I have become determined to serve as a physician that will be an ally to those who have gone through, or are going through, the same struggles my family once did. 

Continuing these goals, this summer I was an unpaid intern for the Tight-Lipped Podcast, a storytelling podcast, and movement-building project about chronic gynecological conditions. I spent the summer examining how systemic sexism, the lack of research funding, and social pressures barre the diagnosis of these conditions. I assisted with the podcast by conducting background research about historical healthcare policies and transcribed interviews. I developed marketing strategies to build our audience, specifically the Latinx community by translating the website and helped develop a resource list in Spanish. I also worked on their social media platform and outreach.  

While interning at Tight-Lipped, I have learned a lot about the history of medical discrimination within race and gender and its presence in today’s healthcare system. As the uprising of Black Lives Matter protests and anti-racist learnings began in the summer, I saw it as our responsibility, as an all-white-passing team, to make efforts to educate and provide resources for our audience about the history of racism in gynecology and its presence in healthcare today by uplifting the Black voices and creatives that have been doing this work. I curated Instagram posts dedicated to the dark history of gynecologists using black female slaves to pioneer procedures without consent and while not using any anesthesia based on articles and books about this. I also worked with my team to highlight how this history translates into America’s large Black maternal mortality rate and the reluctance from medical professionals to believe Black female patient’s pain.  

Although I dedicated lots of time to educating our audience, I also dedicated a lot of time to learning and unlearning things around the healthcare system and race. I attended lectures, listened to podcasts, and read articles to learn more about how I can help better the current health care systems in place. I specifically listened to the NATAL podcast and read Inaugural Edition of The Sankofa Journal from Davidson College.  

I have also learned about knowledge biases in clinical research. As I investigated the history of research for chronic conditions in gynecology, I noticed many flaws in the research funding system that barres the dedication for funding for this type of research. Funding for gynecology and obstetrics must be shared with the pediatrics department even if they do not have any overlap. I also noticed that there was a lack of research to solve chronic pain conditions in females and I believe this is due to societies history of ignoring women’s suffering and pain. After learning how little is being done to solve these conditions, I have begun to aspire to contribute to this type of research in the future. 

I not only learned a lot more about medical and knowledge biases, but I also learned a lot about my future aspirations. As I mentioned previously, this learning opportunity was unpaid, and I had to search for outside funding to be able to commit to this internship. I was able to commit to this internship with the support of funding from the Emerging Professionals Grant that I accessed through the Center for Career Development. With this grant funding, I was able to fund necessities that piled up and were out of reach without proper funding. If it weren’t for this grant I would have been forced to have picked-up unsafe jobs in my community that would risk the health of myself and my family or drop this amazing internship completely to work full-time in a job that would not enrich my learning or provide safe social distancing during this pandemic. By being able to commit to this internship with grant funding, I learned so much about myself and how I can further impact our healthcare system.