Princeternship

Princeternship stories: Alexandra Eakes ’17, Ganchi Plastic Surgery

Alexandra Eakes '17 and Parham A. Ganchi '87My Princeternship was with Ganchi Plastic Surgery for two days.

On the first day, I visited patients with Dr.Parham Ganchi ’87, listening in on his consultations with new patients and his follow-up visits with post-operative patients. I also observed quick procedures, such as Botox and filler injections. On the second day, I observed three surgeries: a rhinoplasty revision, gynecomastia surgery and a breast augmentation revision. The surgeries took up the entirety of the workday. Dr. Ganchi talked to me during the procedures, explaining what he was doing every step of the way and answering any other questions I had. I was also able to observe and speak with the anesthesiologist, surgical technicians, and nurses about their work at the practice.

This Princeternship exposed me to an entirely new field of medicine that I had not yet explored. I was able to see the various steps of a cosmetic plastic surgery procedure, from the beginning planning stage to the end results months post-operation. In addition to learning about the many different procedures, I learned how the surgeon collaborates with patients to reach their desired outcomes, and also how the surgeon must consider the motivation behind a procedure to determine if it is truly in the patient’s best interest. And though Dr. Ganchi specialized in cosmetic plastic surgery, he went out of his way to show me show me the variety of procedures and subspecialties that plastic surgery encompasses. He was also very generous with his experience and advice, discussing with me many other aspects of pursing medicine, such as undergraduate courses, family planning, and private practice.

My experience has contributed greatly to my further interest in medicine and has opened my eyes to a new potential career path. I’ve learned that private practice medicine is definitely something I am interested in pursuing as I enjoyed the intimate setting of Dr. Ganchi’s practice. My experience left me with many things to think about and consider, like the type of lifestyle I would like to have, as I continue my education toward my career.

I definitely recommend this Princeternship to anyone interested in medicine or health. I learned so much in only two days in a great environment with fantastic people. Thank you to Dr. Ganchi and everyone at his practice for being so kind and generous with their time and knowledge. They definitely made my Princeternship everything I had hoped it would be and more.

Princeternship stories: Elizabeth Maxey ’18, YingHua International School

This post was written by Elizabeth Maxey after her Princeternship. Applications for the Winter 2015 program close on Nov. 3. To apply, visit HireTigers.

Maxey 1During this past spring break, I was fortunate to have the opportunity to participate in a three day long Princeternship at the YingHua International School in Princeton hosted by Kristin Epstein ‘97. The YingHua School is a preschool through 4th grade Chinese-English bilingual school, offering full Chinese Immersion from preschool until Kindergarten and then gradually incorporating English language curriculum into the later years.

Upon entering the school, I saw that it was nothing like what I had imagined. In fact, I had never seen a school like this before. The school is a relatively new one and currently shares a building with a church. Having gone to public school my whole life, a tiny private school is very unfamiliar to me.

The other Princetern and I were given a tour of the school on our first day. We first entered a classroom dedicated to Chinese classes, which cover similar material to what students in the U.S. would study in English classes. Our host showed us the workbooks the students use to practice writing Chinese characters. These textbooks are not for learners of Chinese as a second language, but rather are aimed towards students whose native language is Chinese and are learning to read and write. After a little while, it would become clear to us that these children’s native language might as well be Chinese.

We next entered a classroom where students were learning math. While the math they were doing at times was understandable (math truly is a universal language!), the detailed explanations, the chattering of the students amongst themselves, the chidings of the teacher were all totally incomprehensible to me. But the children showed no signs of struggle. It was amazing to see the versatility of their Chinese ability; regardless of their native language or background, these children were truly fluent in Chinese. Our host noted that the textbooks for math were imported from China, so the students all learn according to the Chinese method, which apparently has a different approach from the one we are familiar with in the United States.

Spending time at the YingHua School has strongly reinforced my preexisting interest in and respect for bilingual education. For the first time, I saw with my own eyes the incredible effectiveness of bilingual education. Conversations with our host, who is an administrator, revealed a side to the YingHua School (and private schools in general) that was not apparent through our observations. I had never realized what struggles were involved in running a school. YingHua is still in development, which means that a lot of effort is focused on expansion. Through our participation in the Princeternship, we witnessed and experienced firsthand the difficulty of finding a new building to house the school, the hardships of making a school into an accredited institution (through joining programs like IB), and the effort involved in publicity and spreading information about the school. Although the challenges of the position were clear, each day at the Princeternship I found myself increasingly interested in the field of school administration. I am grateful to my host and the Princeternship program for giving us this special opportunity.

Princeternship stories: Mina Park ’17, Ganchi Plastic Surgery

This post was written by Mina Park after her Princeternship. 

Mina ParkFor my Princeternship, I was given an amazing opportunity to shadow Dr. Parham Ganchi ’87 at Ganchi Plastic Surgery in Wayne, NJ for two days. Before, I had thought that plastic surgery mainly correlated with doing cosmetic work on the face, but through this Princeternship I learned that plastic surgery was a much broader field and I am so glad I was fortunate enough to get some real experience, even if it was only for a short time period.

My two-day Princeternship was divided into either watching Dr. Ganchi perform surgeries or sitting in on check-ups/consultations. Patients came back for check ups on operations such as labiaplasty, breast augmentation, and rhinoplasty. Being able to see the different stages that patients were in for the healing process was also interesting to be exposed to. I was really amazed by how on top of everything Dr. Ganchi was and the care and attention he gave each patient. I got to look at his schedule for the day and it was super packed! Even though he was so busy, Dr. Ganchi never lost his smile and always brought out a happy atmosphere not only for the patients but also for the office workers as well.

ParkThe next day I was excited because I was able to look at surgeries up close. I got to observe Dr. Ganchi perform a breast implant removal, labiaplasty, and blepharoplasty. It was really interesting to see three procedures all in one day. For each one, Dr. Ganchi had very distinct procedures depending on what type of surgery he had to perform. I also got to speak to the anesthesiologist and ask him questions about what drugs he had to use for each patient to sedate him/her. At first, I thought that these surgeries would not take a long time because they sounded so simple. However, I soon realized that I was wrong because Dr. Ganchi was so meticulous with his utensils and artistically cut through the skin in such a way that the patient would not see a major scar after recovery. I am so fortunate to have been given this incredible opportunity and I am so glad I could see these operations up close.

This Princeternship gave me such a wonderful opportunity, where I got observe surgeries related to cosmetics. This experience has helped me narrow down what type of doctor I might want to become in the future, and I thank Dr. Ganchi and his amazing staff for their warm hospitality!

Princeternship stories: Gabrielle Johnson ’18, St. Luke’s Orthopaedic Specialists

This post was written by Gabrielle Johnson after her Princeternship.

For my Princeternship, I spent three days at St. Luke’s Orthopaedic Specialists in Phillipsburg, New Jersey. There I shadowed Orthopedic Physician Dr. Nicholas Avallone ’97. While this was not my first time in a clinical setting, it was my first time in an actual doctor’s office—all of my clinical shadowing experience has taken place in a hospital and this opportunity enlightened me on the other main medical setting.

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Princeternship stories: Brandon Zamudio ’14, New York Public Radio

This post was written by Brandon Zamudio after his Princeternship. 

It was a chilly Friday morning when I got off the E train at Spring Street in Lower Manhattan, just two blocks away from the headquarters of New York Public Radio. As I approached the nine-story building on Varick Street, I noticed a scrolling marquee near the front doors that read “WNYC Radio 93.9 FM | AM 820.” After signing in at the security desk in the lobby, I made my way up to the eighth floor (one of three floors that New York Public Radio occupies) and was greeted by my host, Mr. Ivan Zimmerman ’80.

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Princeternship stories: Jack Moore ’15, Will Staples – Freelance Screenwriter

This post was written by Jack Moore after his Princeternship. 

Jack-MooreWhen you want to write professionally, there is no clear path to accomplishing that dream. There’s no equivalent to law or medical school, no test you can take to prove that you’re a good writer, no entry level positions at large writing companies. But still, somehow, people become writers. For Will Staples ’00, my Princeternship host, I learned, that path involved leaving investment banking, packing up a U-Haul, moving to Los Angeles, and starting to write.

My day took me to a variety of Will’s regular haunts: his house, two nearby coffee shops (the first one was completely filled with writers, so we had to find another), his favorite noodle restaurant, and his office, a small room on the top floor of church in Santa Monica, which he shares with another writer. But where we went wasn’t that important: it was all about the stories.

From when we first sat down in that second coffee shop, Will was sharing details from his life. Whether offering an anecdote about spending an evening with Navy Seals or talking about the various projects that he has worked on, every story he told taught me something about what it’s like to actually write in the real world. You have to put everything you have into each project. You have to do the research, plan, and edit. Then edit again and again and again. And then, if the project doesn’t pan out, you have to let it go. It’s a rough world; even when a script is sold, even when directors and actors are attached, it’s still a long way off from getting a movie made. It can dangle in development limbo forever, a fate worse than death. That’s why you should be careful about making it too autobiographical, Will told me, because it will be too hard to let go of, a piece of advice I certainly needed.

But under everything else, the most important element to Will’s world is friendliness. While this seems odd given Hollywood’s reputation, being an outgoing, trustworthy, loyal individual has helped Will more than a competitive attitude ever could (although there’s still a touch of that). Will’s expertise is in action movies, but he has an angle no one else has. A self-professed research junkie, Will had never fired a gun before working on Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3. While other writers might’ve been content to make it up, to copy other movies or games, Will needed to experience it firsthand. This led to him reaching out to military experts: Seals, Delta Force operators, Special Forces, and more. Today, not only does he know how to shoot (with night-vision, no less), but he also has a host of contacts that he can reach out to at any time. Because he commits to his research and honors the stories of men who have risked their lives around the world, these soldiers, his friends, offer Will insights and details few writers have access to. They know that he will use their information to tell the best, and most honest, story possible. This is Will’s edge: not the ability to undercut or slander another writer, but to show up at a pitch with a folder full of information and say, “I know how this works. I am the right man for this project.” Which is not to say that Will is always the right man for the job. Sometimes, a job comes up that you have to pass on, because you have to be honest with yourself and not make promises you can’t keep. But when the right idea does come along, Will can put himself out there, knowing that he really will do the job better than anyone else.

During my day with Will, I got to sit in on a phone call with TV producers, read screenplay drafts, and discuss possible future projects. But the greatest thing to me were the stories. A man who has made it where so few have was willing to take the time to share his thoughts on writing with me, and I cannot be more grateful. Will’s commitment to research, to editing, and to fostering strong relationships will influence my own writing process for years to come. Entering the world of freelance screenwriting is a daunting prospect, but it didn’t stop Will Staples, and thanks to the time I got to spend with him, I hope it won’t stop me.

Princeternship stories: Arianna Brown ’18, Heartland Payment Systems

This post was written by Arianna Brown after her Princeternship. 

BrownI had a great three-day experience at Heartland Payment Systems with Adrienne Rubin ’88. In such a short period of time, I learned a great deal about the company and spent a lot of time with the employees. I learned about Heartland as a major payment processor company and gained some clarity on how that works.

As a Princetern, I even gained some rare insight on how companies like that deal with fraud. After the three days, I came out learning much more than I had ever imagined. I learned about the work atmosphere and work conduct as well as tricks to help in understanding how to analyze data. In addition, I learned new ways to think about product launches and brainstorming. Surprisingly enough, however, that was not the most important thing that I learned from my experience. The most important things that I expected to learn were concerning the company system and the intricacies of marketing.

Yet, while those were major things that I did learn, my greatest “take away” from the experience was how to determine whether or not a career is a compatible fit for you. I learned that the happiness or unhappiness that you find in a job is heavily influenced by the people you work with and the overall work environment. That was my greatest take away because it put things into perspective. When making job decisions in the future, I will heavily consider those factors.

With that being said, I have only positive things to say about Heartland and my host Adrienne. Every day I walked in the door, I looked forward to completing the task at hand which involved a lot of data analysis. In addition, I also had an opportunity to brainstorm ideas to more effectively launch and promote new Heartland products. This experience was my first time applying the things that I have learned in the classroom to the real world. Being able to use my critical thinking skills in order to impact the launch of real products was a really neat experience and one that I hope to have the opportunity to do again. Overall, the experience was a priceless one that taught me new things about not only Heartland as a company, but also about myself as someone who could one day be potentially working in this field.

Princeternship stories: Vivian Yao ’17, Maria Fareri Children’s Hospital

This post was written by Vivian Yao after her Princeternship. 

I met Dr. Shah for the first time in the lobby of the Maria Fareri Children’s Hospital in Westchester County, New York, and Day 1 officially started with “Grand Rounds.” These weekly lectures are held by academic departments on subjects related to their specific medical specialty. The presentation focused on how hospital care can be strengthened through improved national standards and better communication within the often disparate divisions in the medical system. For the remainder of my Princeternship, the idea of effective communication resonated.

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Princeternship stories: Michael Zhang ’17, DonorsChoose

This post was written by Michael Zhang after his Princeternship. 

I remember thinking to myself on my morning commute to DonorsChoose.org headquarters that this Princeternship was going to be my first real glimpse of what my future may look like. For a brief train ride, I felt like I was walking into the “real world,” as it occurred to me that I was experiencing what every worker from Long Island experiences on a typical workday, even though the morning felt particularly special to me. Continue reading →