I was an intern in the summer of 2022 for Dr. Kosal and the LSFY team. I pretty much did whatever they needed me to do, meaning everything from shredding paper to website critiquing to cabinet organization. During the week of AP Biology Teacher workshops that NC State hosts every year, I also helped prepare lab materials such as growing bacteria and harvesting leaves, setting labs up for teachers to practice, and washing lots and lots of beakers. 

It was a super busy summer, but I really enjoyed both what I was doing and who I was working with. I was also in the unique position of being the target audience for a lot of LSFY outreach which meant I was useful in providing feedback and ideas for the team. During the AP Bio workshop I gained lab experience; even though it wasn’t in the conventional way, I still learned a lot about how college labs work. Dr. Kosal also had the idea for me to tour different labs of majors LSFY feeds into, which I really enjoyed. In these lab tours, I met professors and researchers who explained to me what type of work they were doing and usually let me help out for a bit, like painting melted vaseline onto test tube rims. I learned so much more about how many different research opportunities NC State offers with hands-on experience, and I became really excited to do research of my own in a few years. My internship taught me that I like collaborative environments when people ask each other questions and are all trying to reach a common goal. I know the work I did had value and that I was actively making a difference. 

I recommend meeting many different faculty members and being open to any opportunities. What worked well for me was a carefully written email outlining what I wanted and asking if that was something that could be done or if they knew of anyone who might be a better fit. Faculty are here to help and most are very receptive to students who are genuinely interested and want experience. Don’t let your fear of rejection stop you from reaching out to faculty and remember that even if what you end up doing isn’t exactly what you planned or wanted, you are still learning very valuable skills. I am extremely grateful for the internship experience I had.

Like a two year old, I often ask the question ‘why.’ My brain is constantly searching for the cause and effect of any given situation. I love biology because it appeals to my affinity for logic, problem solving, and analysis. I am just starting out on my degree journey, but I know I am interested in anatomy and pathology, and genetics and toxicology. My ideal career goal would be working in a lab, either researching diseases or analyzing patient cases. One of my favorite parts of biology is that you can have a question about how something works or how something developed into what it is today, research it, find the answer or find more questions that lead to further research. There is also a creative side to biology of thinking of solutions to problems and being open minded to what your research shows.