Author: mf26

Princeternship Stories: Irene Hsu ’20, The Dance Institute of Washington

The moment I arrived at The Dance Institute of Washington (DIW), I was warmly greeted by Kahina ‘11 with a scream of “HEY! Welcome!”.

After some brief introductions, Kahina then proceeded to start organizing the supply closet of DIW. Watching Kahina sort through the numerous costumes, ballet shoes, and other miscellaneous dance-related items, I realized that DIW was not just any shabby nonprofit, it was a flourishing center of high-quality dance production and instruction.

On my first day at work, I quickly learned the mission of DIW. In addition to providing some of the finest dance education I have seen, DIW was a place for youth to be invested into, a place where those who are at risk not only find an exciting activity to be passionate about, but also a community of people who deeply care about them. Seeing the staff interact with the youth and encourage them to pursue their academics really inspired me. The people at DIW are all deeply committed to social change, and it was through observing them that I realized how much the nonprofit sector is fueled by the passion of individuals. Without the staff’s whole-hearted commitment, DIW would never have expanded as ambitiously as it did, boasting multiple off-site and conservatory programs, as well as adult and even toddler classes.

In addition to seeing the power of nonprofit efforts, my Princeternship at DIW allowed me to gain many insights into the workings of a successful organization. Not only did I learn about development through researching grants and funds, but I was also exposed to administrative tasks such as scheduling building space rentals and front desk management. In addition, I gained experience in marketing through social media, which was especially important for DIW because dance’s intrinsic nature to be entertainment. Furthermore, I was extremely lucky to have the chance to meet the representative from Fox 5 in charge of running and scheduling TV ads for DIW. He was very kind and even shared his career path and went into detail about strategic media execution.

My time at The Dance Institute of Washington was simply amazing. I gained so many useful skills, tools, and experiences that I can apply to my future career. I am extremely grateful to all the fun, talented and hard-working people I met there, especially Kahina. She not only impressed me with her strong leadership skills, but is also just an extremely enjoyable person to be around.  I loved my time at DIW and I would highly recommend this Princeternship to anyone who is even remotely interested in dance or in the nonprofit sector.

Interested in applying for a Princeternship? Visit: http://bit.ly/princeternship18.

Princeternship Stories: Carla Dias ’21, Swedish Neuroscience Center

My Princeternship at the Swedish Neuroscience Center in Seattle was such an amazing experience that I left wishing I could do it again. Over the course of a week with Dr. Cobbs, I was exposed to so many new aspects of medicine. I came into the internship knowing that I was interested in medicine, but unsure of what direction I wanted to take within this career field. After shadowing Dr. Cobbs, I now believe I want to pursue a career in neurosurgery, especially with some work in research. The experience allowed me to see the reality of what a surgeon does on a daily basis. I am very thankful to have been able to have this opportunity early on in my time at Princeton, a reminder of what I will be working towards over the next few years.

The first day began with a debriefing meeting in which all the doctors of the department collectively reviewed their recent surgeries. We even got to see a case of an amoeba infection that Dr. Cobbs said had only been reported around 100 times in the country. The day was one of his “surgery days” so we got to observe craniotomy to remove a brain tumor. We then got to follow a biopsy of the tumor to the path lab, where the pathologist processed the tissue and viewed it under a microscope to confirm that it contained what was expected to be metastatic breast cancer cells.

The next day was one of his “clinic days.” We followed Dr. Cobbs from room to room as he consulted with new patients and follow-ups. Not only did we learn about patient interaction, but we also learned about different diagnostic techniques, a preview of the kind of things I will be learning in a few years. In addition, we were able to see his research lab that has been making some big strides in the field of cancer research, something that has always been of interest to me. Seeing how someone have a job in both surgery and research has really made me consider it as a possibility.

The final day was my favorite and definitely the most exciting. We arrived at the hospital early and got to sit in on grand rounds. The two presenters were visiting from the Allen Institute (one of the top neuro research centers in the country). After the presentation, we observed a spinal surgery. I even was able to pick the music for the OR. I was so surprised at how much the human body can withstand, especially in an area that I assumed would be so delicate.

The entire week was an overall amazing experience. I would absolutely encourage anyone remotely interested in surgery to apply, I am definitely glad that I did.

There was a second surgery that day, a craniotomy to remove a recurring tumor and tissue that would be sent to the Allen Institute for study. Dr. Cobbs generously got the Allen Institute to agree to allow us to visit and tour the facility. After the tissue reached the institute, we got to see them studying the neurons using some of the best technology available. It is cool to think that we might be some of the few people to ever see the entire process from tissue extraction in an OR to neuron study in a laboratory. The entire week was an overall amazing experience. I would absolutely encourage anyone remotely interested in surgery to apply, I am definitely glad that I did.

Interested in applying for a Princeternship? Visit: http://bit.ly/princeternship2018.

Princeternship Stories: Nathan Alam ’21, Rally Health

Over this past winter intersession, I had the opportunity to shadow Charles Brown, chief of staff at Rally Health in Washington, D.C. Through this experience, I was able to gain valuable insights into the operations of a rapidly expanding tech company with a focus on healthcare.

Coming into this Princeternship, I had never stepped into an actual office environment before. While I had previously explored my interests in medicine and software development, I had yet to see how the two fields work together commercially. My time at Rally was a wonderful opportunity to familiarize myself with the variety of current players in the marketplace related to the intersection between healthcare and technology. After having been through this shadowing experience, I now have a better grasp on the state of these fields and how a private company navigates them.

At the beginning of my Princeternship, Mr. Brown explained how Rally fits into the U.S. healthcare system. While Rally offers a variety of software products, what I essentially got out of our discussion was that the company focused primarily on streamlining the healthcare market for consumers and use behavioral psychology to motivate people to live healthier. What was most interesting to me was how the people working in Rally were able to make the enterprise profitable.

One of the first things I noticed was how casual and friendly the office environment was. The most interesting part of the office was the fact that the conference rooms were all named after superhero characters. This environment made it very easy to engage in conversations with other employees there, and through them, I learned about the variety of career paths that led them to Rally. For example, after speaking with David Dempsey ’00, I learned about the legal team’s large presence in the office. I also learned about the career path of another employee currently directing graphic design and other art related projects, all essential to the company’s marketing and user experience. As I walked through the office with Mr. Brown, I was amazed by the variety of work occurring simultaneously, as the leadership sat on desks right next to software developers and lawyers.

 

Throughout the day, Mr. Brown took me to back-to-back meetings with other departments of the company in addition to third-party organizations related to healthcare technology. It was an eye-opening to see how interrelated and diverse the market was behind the scenes in healthcare. At our first “town hall” meeting, I sat with office heads to overhear discussions about renovations to increase office space and accommodate the ever-increasing size of the company. I sat in on calls between Mr. Brown and a prospective partner company discussing a product to improve sleep health. Mr. Brown also gave me an opportunity to sit in on a meeting with a contact working on a weight loss software tool. Throughout it all, Mr. Brown was always imparting advice about career development in the private sector and effectively managing projects in an unstructured, novel environment.

Before this Princeternship, I admittedly knew very little about the healthcare system and the world of software firms working behind direct consumers to develop intermediate products. After this experience, I know that there is much more than what meets the eye in the healthcare market. Now, I can appreciate the data management, analytics and partnerships that take place each time I visit my doctor. Most importantly, my career possibilities have expanded significantly, as I got to meet people working on projects and fields I never heard of before, using their knowledge in ways I could not have imagined. While I went into the internship looking for exposure in how applied technology could lead to healthcare solutions, I found myself learning a lot about the vast machinery in the operations of a company in a burgeoning market.

All in all, I would highly recommend anyone to get involved with the Princeternship program. I think that there is much more to learn from an actual working environment than what is in textbooks, and education tends to overlook the operations of a private company almost entirely. I would like to thank Charles Brown for his time, advice, and willingness to allow such a great shadowing experience.

Interested in applying for a Princeternship? Visit: http://bit.ly/princeternship2018.

Princeternship Stories: Rohan Joshi ’21, Northwestern Mutual

During intersession, I had the pleasure of shadowing Ms. Cindy Arocho, a financial advisor at Northwestern Mutual. Before starting, I had to fill out a culture index survey as well as get fingerprinted. The culture index is a questionnaire that predicts how well you would function in a given workplace, based on your personality. My culture index showed that I value flexibility with my work, as well as having a high affinity for communication with my peers. This combination was well suited for a financial advisor, as they need to be willing to accommodate all their clients’ needs, as well as make sure the clients know what is going on with their money. I had to get fingerprinted because I would be interacting with confidential financial data.

The first day, I met Ms. Arocho and she taught me what a financial advisor does. Basically, advisors are people who manage the money of their clients. The clients set aside small (or larger) amounts of money each month for Ms. Arocho to manage. She allocates these funds into different financial instruments, such as Roth-IRA’s, life insurance and mutual funds. Each of these “buckets” does different things with money. IRAs and mutual funds depend on the stock market. Depending on how risky a client wants to be, the mutual fund will be either bond-heavy (safer) or stock-heavy (riskier).

Another integral part of Ms. Arocho’s job is finding clients. By networking and meeting mutual friends, Ms. Arocho can grow her client base. This is important because more clients mean greater assets under management.

One important thing I learned was that financial advisors help people in the community. Most people have no clue how to save for retirement, and Ms. Arocho was able to give them a detailed timeline describing how much to save and how much the initial seed would grow.

I am very satisfied with my Princeternship experience. I did not really know much about what financial advisors do beforehand, but I learned so much during my few days at Northwestern Mutual. Ms. Arocho was very helpful throughout the entire process, and I am grateful to Princeton for providing me with this opportunity.

Princeternship Stories: Jamie Mercurio ’20, Smart Assest

For my Princeternship, I shadowed a Manhattan-based financial technology company called SmartAsset with three other Princeton students. They create personal web-based financial education products for consumers, as well as various calculators and website widgets for outside clients like Yahoo Finance and CNN Money.

Our host was AJ Smith ’03, although there were a few other Princeton graduates in other SmartAsset departments that we interacted with during the two days we were there. With my major being Computer Science, and being interested in both software development and product design Smart Assest was a great fit for me – and it really helped me understand more about how these two fields in the technology industry connect and overlap. One of my main goals during my Princeternship was to see if I was drawn more to product management or technical development. I soon discovered that it’s possible to find the perfect combination of both at a company like SmartAsset.

We met and talked with many teams within the company over the course of the first day, including data management, marketing, content, software engineering, product design and upper management. This gave us plenty of opportunities to learn from the passionate people about their careers, while also discovering the day-to-day operations of each team in the company. Then, on the second day, the VP of Engineering allowed us to pick from five different projects that addressed real-world problems SmartAsset was working to solve. Another intern and I successfully collaborated on one of these projects utilizing our computer science experience, and we were able to consult with different people in the company about obstacles we encountered along the way.

Overall, SmartAsset provided a great opportunity to see what it’s like to work on the software engineering side of FinTech products, while also learning about the paths of many other essential teams in the company. It was a once-in-a-lifetime experience that I’ll never forget, and I’d recommend the Princeternship program to anyone interested in seeing how their interests and studies can be applied in the real world.

Featured Jobs and Internships of the Week – Opportunities in Arts

Each week the Career Services team will highlight new or unusual opportunities for undergraduates, graduate students and alumni. This edition features picks from Autumn Weyant ’20 and Sher Gill ’21, who assist our employer outreach team to expand recruiting opportunities at Princeton.

Art makes us think more deeply, strive more intently and feel joy more profoundly. Engaging with the arts helps us develop into better people. Consider applying to the following internships if you are interested in the arts and would like to spend your summer in this broad area.

Picks of the Week: 

  • National Museum of American Jewish History: Summer Intern
    The National Museum of American Jewish History is looking for students who want to learn about public history, the museum profession, non-profit organizations and the American Jewish experience. Interns will be placed into a project that fits their interest and skill level. Applications are accepted on a rolling basis.
  • Meural: Summer PR Intern
    Meural is a New York City startup that sits at the intersection of technology, art and design. They’re currently in an exciting fast growth period and are looking for an intern this summer to assist with their PR efforts. This role will be heavily research-based and focused on developing targeted media lists while building your skills in pitch-writing and PR strategy. Submit your application by May 10.
  • Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art: Preparation Intern
    The Preparation internship is an opportunity to learn about managing a collection of special exhibitions and installations, preventative maintenance of artwork and gallery rotations, as well as general support for the collection management department. This is a paid internship and students from any year are encouraged to apply by May 5.
  • ArtsQuest: Arts Administration & Education Internship
    The Banana Factory Arts Center at ArtsQuest seeks a dynamic intern to assist the visual arts education department in the development and delivery of visual arts programs and events. This is a great opportunity for students interested in arts, art history, fine arts, arts education, early childhood education, humanities, English, psychology and business. Applications close on May 21.
  • Moxxly, Inc.: Content Marketing Internship
    Moxxly’s mission is to build high-quality, well-designed products for women. The intern will immerse themselves in their content production process and will work between 20 and 40 hours a week. This internship is for rising juniors and seniors. Apply by April 30.
  • Princeton University Press: Production Internship
    If you’re interested in staying on campus for the summer, you can apply to be a production intern for the Princeton University Press. The Production department manages manuscripts through copyediting, typesetting and design. Some duties include logging in art for new manuscripts, completing the design, check on templated books, copyediting indexes, completing quality reviews of ebooks and checking digital proofs. Interns must work at least 15 hours a week. Sophomores and up should apply by May 4 at 5 p.m.
  • Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts: Performance Marketing Intern
    The marketing team at Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts plans and executes marketing efforts for all programming, brand initiatives and customer communications. This Internship is right for you if you can communicate efficiently and effectively, and if you have a passion for performance arts and creativity. Apply by May 25.

UCAN* Internships:

  • Canon USA: Risk/Underwriting Intern
    Canon USA is hiring a paid summer intern in business, business administration, economics or finance. Responsibilities include gathering data on prospective and existing customers to support credit decisions, managing credit lines, compiling reports, summarizing portfolio performance data. Apply by June 18.
  • Blank Canvas Tours: Guest Relations and Social Media Marketing
    Blank Canvas provides tours that are focused on art, music and theatre in the world’s best destinations. They are looking for a college student of any year, background and level of experience to assist with their public relations team. Duties include email campaigns, Google AdWords, social media posting to Facebook and Instagram and more. Apply by June 4.
  • HBO Latin America Group: Summer Intern
    HBO Latin America is owned by Time Warner and broadcasts its content across several cable networks in the Latin American region. They are looking to hire interns to work in one of a variety of different fields across their company. Interested juniors and seniors should apply by May 7.

Do you have any questions? Are there any specific employers or industries that you’re interested in? Let us know!

*UCAN is an internship-only site that is shared by 20 member schools, including Princeton. To use UCAN in addition to Handshake, you’ll need to register for a new account. Instructions on using UCAN are available here.

Featured Jobs and Internships of the Week – Environmental Companies/Jobs

Each week the Career Services team will highlight new or unusual opportunities for undergraduates, graduate students and alumni. This edition features picks from Autumn Weyant ’20 and Sher Gill ’21, who assist our employer outreach team to expand recruiting opportunities at Princeton.

Earth Day takes place every year on April 22nd as a day to remind us to take in account our impact on the environment and focus on future efforts for environmental protection. In the spirit of Earth Day, this week’s list has been curated to focus on environmental projects and organizations. Channel your passion to go green with these summer internships, for all of which you can still apply!

Picks of the Week: 

  • Strategic Energy Innovations: Intern
    Strategic Energy Innovations (SEI) is nonprofit that develops and delivers solutions customized to help communities accomplish their sustainability goals. They are currently seeking volunteer interns to support their work in several key programs: K-12 education, Climate Corps, the SEED Fund and the School of Environmental Leadership . Applications are due May 31st, but interns are accepted on a rolling basis.
  • The Council on Foreign Relations: Energy, Security, and the Environment: Summer Internship
    Interns will have the opportunity to receive training in the area of foreign policy; as well as skills training in areas such as writing, research and program planning. The major duties of this position are assisting with research and conducting data analysis. Applications are accepted on a rolling basis and close on May 31.
  • Environment America: Internship
    Environment America’s mission statement is to build a greener, healthier world. As an intern, you will learn to analyze environmental conflicts, working alongside experienced advocates and attending training sessions. The only qualification you’ll need to apply is a passion for the environment. Applications are due April 30.
  • Hudson River Park Trust: Environmental Education Intern
    The mission of the Hudson River Park Trust is to design, construct and maintain the four-mile-long waterfront park on the west side of Manhattan. As a summer intern, your duties will include teaching environmental education programs, learning how to fish, assisting environmental researchers and more. All students are encouraged to submit an application by June 4.
  • Tesla: Environmental, Health, Safety, Sustainability: Internship
    The Environmental Sustainability Group was established to reduce the environmental impact of Tesla operations. Interns with this group will work in one of seven different areas that revolve around this mission, depending on prior experience. Apply by May 25.
  • Langan Engineering and Environmental Services: Civil Engineering: Intern
    Langan is an award-winning ENR Top 500 design firm that offers integrated engineering and environmental services for both public and private sector clients. They are currently recruiting civil engineering students interested in gaining field experience in site feasibility studies, technical report preparation, design plans and more. Students from any year are encouraged to apply ASAP. Applications are accepted on a rolling basis.
  • Environment for the Americas: Visitor Information Assistant
    Environment for the Americas is an organization that is focused on conservation. They are looking for interns to work in the Begich Boggs Visitor Center located within a national forest in Alaska. The main duties are to learn about the forest and extend this knowledge to the general public. Applications are due by May 1.

UCAN* Internships:

  • New Jersey Environmental Federation: Sustainability Advocate Intern
    Clean Water Action is hiring students passionate about the environment to organize local grassroots campaigns to protect the health, economy, environment and livelihood of New Jersey communities. You will gain knowledge of local politics, campaign strategies and environmental issues. The only requirement is a commitment to progressive policies and environmental issues. Applications are due June 15th.
  • Institute for Environmental Solutions: Tree Stewards Coordinator Internship
    The tree stewards coordinator works with the Institute for Environmental Solutions Tree Project team to organize care needed for new plants in the Wheat Ridge Greenbelt and along the Sheridan Quincy Trail in Colorado until the new plants establish roots and can survive without supplemental water. No specific technical training, expertise or experience is required. All you need is a passion for the environment! Apply by June 16.
  • Fundacion para la Tierra: Large Mammal Monitoring Internship
    Para La Tierra is a not-for-profit conservation organization that protects habitats and species in Paraguay through scientific research and community outreach. Their research primarily is focused on different primate species. Interns will use camera traps and walking transects to look for footprints, with an aim to discover what other animals live in the research sect in Pro Cosara and if the movements are determined by the presence or absence of predators in the area. Applications are due June 6!

Do you have any questions? Are there any specific employers or industries that you’re interested in? Let us know!

*UCAN is an internship-only site that is shared by 20 member schools, including Princeton. To use UCAN in addition to Handshake, you’ll need to register for a new account. Instructions on using UCAN are available here.

Princeternship Stories: David Selwood ’20, MITRE Corporation

For my January 2017 Princeternship, another Princeton student and I spent a day at the MITRE Corporation in Bedford, Massachusetts. The MITRE Corporation is a not-for-profit, largely government contracted company. It is at the forefront of research in many fields and provides services over a range of areas, though the majority of its resources go to defense work for the United States Air Force.

My host was Kristin Fitzgerald (Goehl), Class of 2016. I believed this was a great fit for me as I am a prospective operations research and financial engineering (ORFE) major and she is one of the most recent graduates of the department. Having been there for less than a year, it was especially great that Kristin could connect us to such interesting people within MITRE. These included another 2016 Princeton graduate (MAE) as well as the Vice President of the Air Force Program. I learned that MITRE does things that I did not expect, such as assessing risk in relation to youth in foster care, in addition to their advertised involvement in defense.

My first goal entering my Princeternship was to determine if I want to continue studying ORFE. During this experience, I learned multitudes of ways that the data science aspect of an ORFE education can be used. Each one of these applications deepened my interest in ORFE much more than I expected. It was certainly a pleasant surprise. What I did not expect to gather from this experience was a potential purpose for my career. Because MITRE is a not-for-profit company and is government contracted, its work is done in the public service. Whether helping foster kids escape certain risks or helping to defend our nation, everything is done for the good of someone else and not for personal or corporate profit. It was certainly noticeable that MITRE employees were passionate about their work, especially the VP of the Air Force Program. I learned that this is the mentality I want to carry through my career.

In addition to these data science applications, we were also allowed to look at certain computer science and programming applications in such fields as virtual reality. However, we were not allowed to see the most interesting projects at MITRE because of their sensitive nature. While there, we had to wear “ESCORT REQUIRED” badges, a neat experience in itself.

Shadowing at the MITRE Corporation for a day showed me how all the technical and theoretical skills I may learn as a Princeton engineer could be applied in a real-world situation. Whether it be in STEM, humanities or anywhere in between, I encourage all students to look into the Princeternship program to see what incredible work is available at the end of an enlightening Princeton career. Finally, I would like to thank Kristin Fitzgerald for her time and willingness to host us at MITRE and give us a great experience.

Q&A with Ji-Sung Kim ’19, Google

Recently, we had the opportunity to speak with Ji-Sung Kim ’19, a current intern at Google Research. Before joining the Google Research team, he had the opportunity to visit their office during last spring’s Princeternship. In this Q&A, Ji-Sung shares some valuable advice on how to make the most out of your Princeternship and insight on being rejected from a position.

1. Your title and a brief description of what you will be doing at Google

I’m currently an intern at Google Research. The goal of my internship is to study and develop machine learning algorithms — methods which automatically learn information from data. I collaborate with numerous Google engineers and scientists on bleeding-edge machine learning research. I have two mentors: one is a software engineer and the other is a research scientist.

2. Could you tell me a little bit about how you started working for Google? 

I befriended a really considerate and supportive Googler who encouraged me to apply. He offered some helpful advice and was like a mentor to me! During the application process, I completed a coding challenge and a project-interest phone interview. I received an offer a few weeks later.

3. Did Princetership influence your experience in choosing to intern at Google?

My Princeternship did not directly affect my application process, but it definitely helped me get a better sense of the Google culture. I also met some great people who I’ve had the chance to follow up with during my internship.

4. What advice do you have for students participating in Princeternship?

Do not try to network really hard. I think the best part of a Princeternship is creating meaningful (and enjoyable) conversations. Enjoy the Princeternship, and most importantly, enjoy speaking with and learning about the people who work there.

5. Any closing thoughts for students that you want to share?

I was rejected from Google several times before I was accepted for this internship. Most recruiting teams receive thousands of applications and accept only a small fraction of applicants. Rejection and failure are normal — they are an important part of learning and development. During my freshman and sophomore year, I was rejected from around 98% of the internship opportunities I applied to. 

Princeternship Stories: Keeley Walsh ’19, Maria Fareri Children’s Hospital

Over intersession, I spent three days shadowing Dr. Shah ’96, a neonatologist at Maria Fareri Children’s Hospital in Westchester Country, New York. Dr. Shah went to Cornell Medical School after graduating from Princeton. He later completed his residency at Duke University Children’s Hospital followed by a fellowship at NYU Children’s Hospital. Not only is he a practicing neonatologist but he also is an active member of the American Academy of Pediatrics as well as a co-chairman for the Society of Pediatric Research. I was very lucky to spend three days shadowing Dr. Shah because I was able to see the daily life of a neonatologist, a researcher, and an advocate for Children’s health policy.

Day one began with Dr. Shah showing me around the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU). He spent time explaining the functions of all the different apparatuses used in the unit. I was amazed that not one baby had the same combination of treatments. Each patient was carefully assessed and given a unique treatment to help improve their health. After touring the unit with Dr. Shah, I completed the daily rounds with the residents and the on-call neonatologist.

During rounds we went through all 48 patients in the NICU, discussing the babies’ measurements and specific treatments. Measurements included everything from the baby’s weight to vitamin intake. The doctors, fellows, and residents would all converse on what they believed would be the best way to treat each’s unique condition and then decide from there. This ensured that every baby received the best possible care. After completing rounds, I could not wait to come back on day two to see the progress that some babies had made. I only interacted with the patients for a short time, maybe five minutes each, but I already felt connected to them and wanted each and every one to get better.

On day two I began with daily rounds with the on-call team. Similar to the day before, we saw each patient assessing their specific needs. This day was by far my favorite because I was able to see the positive progress that many of the babies had made. When some of these babies first came into the unit, they were smaller than three soda cans and had serious respiratory problems. I imagine treating babies with some of the most life-threatening problems is the hardest part of the job. But as the days pass and the team continues to adjust the treatments and medications, the patients get better, which I believe to be the most rewarding part of the job. On this day, many of the babies’ parents were in the unit as we were completing the daily rounds. I particularly enjoyed seeing the happiness on the parents’ faces when the doctor would comfort the parents and let them know that their child’s condition was improving. Day two concluded with me watching Dr. Shah conduct stem cell research at New York Medical College.

Day three was very different than the first two. As mentioned earlier, Dr. Shah is an active member of the American Academy of Pediatrics. He is very passionate about children’s healthcare and wants to ensure that every child has access to necessary treatments. We traveled to several Congress members’ offices and discussed the provisions of the Affordable Care Act and how they benefited children in particular. It was interesting to see another side of medicine that I never thought of, but is just as important.

Before this experience, I was on the fence about continuing on the pre-medicine track. My goal to pursue pediatrics was solidified after completing rounds with the team and seeing what a neonatologist’s daily life in the hospital is like. I specifically enjoyed the second day of rounds because I was able to see some of the babies’ conditions improve. Dr. Shah was very welcoming and willing to discuss things that I did not understand. I enjoyed all our talks because I not only gained knowledge about neonatology but also about life in general. I am so grateful to have completed this Princeternship because I now have a better understanding of what I hope to be my future career path.