Hi, I’m Farin and I am a proud nerd. Not in the “everyone is a proud nerd” kind of way, but in a “this is who I am, so I will accept it” kind of way. I love my curiosity. I love that I spend hours on WebMD or Harvard medicine journal or any other medical website that serves to answer some of my questions. When I think about my interests, medicine always comes to mind first. Ever since my sixth-grade human biology project and subsequent diagnostic extra credit exercise, medicine has been an integral part of my life. It is one of my favorite things. It is why I giggle when my sister asks for “Dr. Farin,” or why I am not so secretly happy to go to my doctor’s appointments. However cliche it may be, it feels like I was made to learn about medicine. 

For my project, I am interning in the Neel Lab for three days and shadowing in Abbe Friedberg’s office for a day. On Mondays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays, I will be with the Neel Lab where researchers study cell signaling and its relation to binding proteins in human diseases. The Lab has a particular interest in breast and ovarian cancer biology, as well as access to a number of top-of-the-line research instruments such as CRISPR. On Tuesdays, I will be working with Nurse Practitioner Abbe Friedberg who is involved in both Infectious Disease and General Medicine. She works with a number of patients, but a large percentage of them are HIV-positive. She aims to work with not only the ailments that her patients come in with but also improve their day-to-day life. By doing this I will not only learn about what Dr. Neel and Friedberg do on a daily basis, but also about medicine and lab culture. This will help me have a greater understanding of my future plans in medicine and academia. At the end of every week, I plan to compose a report about what I have done and learned each day. I will also be completing supplemental readings about the fields that Dr. Neel and Friedberg are in and subsequent analysis. I expect there to be a steep learning curve in terms of understanding the science that they are doing as well as any lingo and norms in the field. I also understand that there will be a limit to how much I am able to do as both a highschooler and someone who is new to the research field. However, I don’t see that as a limitation to my learning as the purpose of this project for me is not to complete research, but rather to experience it. 

To complete my service commitment, I will be doing a combination of volunteering at GallopNYC and the Sean Casey Animal Rescue. GallopNYC is a nonprofit organization that aims to give resources to disabled people to be able to ride horses. Equine therapy is known to be very helpful in improving mental health, but oftentimes it can be inaccessible for people with disabilities. GallopNYC strives to bring a safe and supportive environment for disabled people that want to work with horses. They have many different volunteering positions from helping with administration to caring for the horses, as I have been working with horses for over ten years, I hope to help take care of their horses. The Sean Casey Animal Rescue is a nonprofit, no kill shelter that aims to rescue and rehome dogs, cats, reptiles, birds, and other small mammals. They offer volunteering opportunities to walk dogs which is something that I am hoping to partake in. Finally, getting to work with animals requires a level of compassion and understanding of unique needs that is required in the medical field. 

In terms of in school commitments, I plan to continue in the Jazz Band on Fridays and pop into GSA and Jewish Affinity. I also will hopefully participate in the Calculus and readings in Biology senior seminars. 

Overall, during this project I will delve into my interests in science and medicine to an extent that I have not been able to before. As well as, by volunteering with GallopNYC and Sean Casey Animal Rescue, I will nurture an interest in animals that I haven’t previously explored. By doing this, I will not only learn how to be in medicine, but also if this is the right career for me.