Four rising Bensalem High School seniors were recently among 100 young women from across the country who participated in SHE (Summer Healthcare Experience), a program offered by the American Cancer Society that introduces them to oncology.
Over the last two weeks, twins Aayushi and Aastha Patel, Oluseyi Oduntan and Jiya Patel — all AP biology students of Lisa Tokmajian — heard from women in the field about the various paths one can take, and worked with like-minded students and professional mentors to perform studies and conduct research.
All four BHS students already boasted a love for science and interest in oncology prior to SHE. However, they felt the program could open their eyes to career paths within the field that they weren’t previously aware of.
“I would say I’ve always had a draw to the field of science, but I wasn’t sure if I’d want to have a bedside career where I become a doctor. That was definitely something that interested me, but I also realized I never explored the research side of it,” said Aayushi, who was inspired after hearing from a radiation oncologist from Penn Medicine. “And oncology research is something that’s growing because of new technology and development.”
For Oduntan, her reason behind applying for SHE is also personal: “Cancer runs in my family. I’ve always wanted to do science, and this program has really motivated me to pursue research and possibly find some kind of treatment for cancer.”
During the first week of SHE, participants conducted a fruit fly experiment, which tasked them with studying the insects’ nutrition and seeing if it had an impact on reproductivity. After experiencing the research side of things, the girls were exposed to the bedside aspect of oncology in week two, during which they crafted a plan for a patient that had different types of cancers. Presentations were given at the end of each week to showcase their findings.
Both weeks included breakout discussions with women already in the field, including Ph.D. students from the University of Pennsylvania. The majority of SHE took place remotely, though they got to meet other participants in-person at opening and closing events. SHE encompassed five host sites (the universities of Pennsylvania, Chicago, Kentucky, Michigan and Connecticut), with 20 students selected for each.
The Bensalem teens appreciated that the American Cancer Society offers a women-focused program like SHE. According to Jiya, they learned a lot about leadership positions in the oncology field, which are currently male-dominated.
“It really is inspiring seeing all these women come and talk to us,” she said.
Aastha added, “A lot of the females that we talked to, and even the site leaders, they would tell us how little women are in STEM. But I feel like with the 100 other women we connected with through this program, I can definitely see that number growing, and I feel like it only takes exposure to people that have the same interest as you.”
Given the large number of participants, the Patel twins were never in the same breakout groups, allowing them to have varying SHE experiences and compare notes at the end of the day.
“It’s like we get two different sides of the program,” said Aayushi.
Plus, having a sibling doing the same research a few feet away certainly came in handy at one point.
Aastha said with a laugh, “It was kind of funny because my mom did not want fruit flies upstairs in the house. We’ve been working in the basement with the fruit flies. She [Aayushi] was on one side of the basement, I was on the other side, but there were a lot of small things that went wrong. All her fruit flies died, like, the second day; all of mine were still alive. So she got to see the live fruit flies from me.”
As Oduntan and the Patels prepare for their senior year at BHS and everything that lies ahead, they’re grateful to SHE for introducing them to possible futures they never before considered…and also letting them know it’s OK to be uncertain.
“I’m not 100 percent sure what I want to do, but just having the opportunity to hear from so many people who have been through where we are right now as confused high schoolers, like, ‘Oh, we know we want a career in science, but we don’t know exactly where,’ and just hearing from every path that they’ve taken makes it feel like it’s fine not knowing what you’re doing,” said Aayushi. “That’s something that we heard a lot throughout the different panels this week.”
Samantha Bambino can be reached at sbambino@newspapermediagroup.com
