City of Hope

Summer trainee

May - July 2018 • Duarte, CA

What I liked

I loved the whole experience and learning and networking. Doing research is what I want to do with my life and this opened many doors for me.

What I wish was different

I wish I could have stayed longer

Advice

Definitely try it out if you are interested in biomedical research

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Radiology intern

August 2019 - October 2021 • Duarte, CA

What I liked

Being able to do research on cancer treatments.

What I wish was different

I wish COVID didn’t shut down the labs.

Advice

Make sure to learn as much as you can as far as technology and research techniques go.

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research assistant

April - August 2021 • Duarte, CA

What I liked

Team work, publications

What I wish was different

Nothing

Advice

Great company, build relationships

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Research Trainee

June - August 2019 • Duarte, CA

What I liked

- I grew exponentially from being mentored by senior lab personnel in how to conduct meaningful research and independently manage duties at the bench. I absolutely enjoyed assuming a critical role in the day-to-day operation of the lab and helping my peers in their various projects. Being part of a dynamic, hyper-productive environment was a pleasure and shaped me personally as well as professionally.

What I wish was different

- Not applicable.

Advice

- In finding the right biomedical research lab, I would suggest being honest about your true interests. Envision these interests manifesting into future goals. Always look for the intersections between classroom learning and working-world applications of knowledge. Update your resume as you learn lab techniques and add milestones to your belt. Maintain a thorough lab notebook to keep track of progress (and to look back for possible sources of error). Be adaptable, imaginative, and develop good intuition. Be open to constructive criticism and seek out help whenever you need it (ask many questions!). Ask for advice from your mentors in deciding grad school and career options.

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Research Internship

May - August 2018 • Duarte, CA

What I liked

The team and my supervisor

What I wish was different

I went back

Advice

Don’t be afraid to apply for things that you may feel are out of your reach

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Research Intern

May - August 2019 • Duarte, CA

What I liked

I was able to learn new laboratory skills and biology knowledge that were extremely helpful in taking new coursework in the fall.

What I wish was different

Advice

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student researcher

June - August 2019 • Duarte, CA

What I liked

I got to get the full experience of what the daily life of a biomedical immuno ongology researcher is like. The staff was very welcoming and I felt very respected. It was also nice to get a feel for what a 9-5 job feels like.

What I wish was different

Advice

You must be confident in your abilities to show the staff that they can trust you and that you are willing to learn.

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Internal communications

June - August 2019 • Duarte, CA

What I liked

I was exposed to a different side of communications. Corporate communications is so different than what I am used to and I really enjoyed it.

What I wish was different

Advice

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Graduate Student

July 2017 • Duarte, CA

What I liked

What I wish was different

Advice

Graduate school is not for everyone, but if you want to stay in the sciences and advance (beyond a "glass ceiling") a graduate degree is required. You learn a ton, and have to be ready to admit all that you don't know.

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Research Assistant

June - August 2018 • Duarte, CA

What I liked

I loved so many things about my internship. My mentor gave me so much responsibility in my project, so I was able to get so much hands on lab experience. Furthermore, on all of my writing assignments my mentor met with me one-on-one to give me constructive criticism. Because of these meeting the quality of my scientific writing improved drastically. I also learned how to present a poster, which is a very valuable skill for any scientist who wants to be published in the future. Finally, the hours were great ( 10:30-6:30).

What I wish was different

The City of Hope program is open to high school students and college students. Many of the participants were in high school, and the difference in maturity level between the high school participants and college participants was very apparent. I did not make any meaningful connections with the other program participants, but instead spent more time with the grad students in my lab and other labs, which was very rewarding.

Advice

This internship is a lot of work, but if you are prepared to put in the hours and passionately delve into your project it is a very worthwhile experience.

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Clinical Research Intern

May - August 2018 • Duarte, CA

What I liked

I enjoyed the multi-faceted aspect of my internship--I had the opportunity to speak with patients, shadow doctors, assist with the processing of bio-specimens, and work with fellow clinical research associates to ensure that our principal investigator's NIH-funded research studies ran as smoothly as possible.

What I wish was different

I wish that there had been more of an orientation to City of Hope as an organization. Though I did complete a virtual orientation, I would have liked to learn more about the work of other departments.

Advice

Be flexible and manage your time. There isn't a definite schedule when it comes to consenting patients so make sure to keep that in mind when mapping our your tasks for the day.

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Summer Student

June - August 2018 • Duarte, CA

What I liked

It was incredible to work in a translational laboratory alongside physicians and research scientists. The group strived to provide "bench to bedside" care for the patients in the hospital across the street. The therapy we worked on was quite exciting, and I got to use cutting edge technologies like stem cells and CRISPR-Cas9 genome editing tools.

What I wish was different

Advice

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Biology Research Intern

June - August 2018 • Duarte, CA

What I liked

I loved everything about it. I was lucky to have a fantastic mentor and a very welcoming Lab environment, in addition to the responsibility of an in-depth project.

What I wish was different

Advice

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Summer Research Associate

May - July 2018 • Duarte, CA

What I liked

No research experience was required so it was a great way to gain valuable research experience that other research programs require. The staff and science community at City of Hope are brilliant and eager to help elevate your science career. Each lab is different, but from my perspective, there is a lot of hands-on experience, which concludes to a lab work presentation and poster project.

What I wish was different

Although the activities and guest speakers provided by the program were fun and intriguing, I felt a loss of time for the actual lab work. As a result, there was sometimes an added stress to completing daily tasks under a time crunch.

Advice

As previously stated, each lab is different. I would recommend really researching into the labs available to join in order to insure you find an area of expertise that entices you.

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Summer Research Trainee

May - August 2018 • Duarte, CA

What I liked

I liked that I had my own project, a ton of opportunities to meet professors and researchers conducting research in my intended field, and a community of peers that supported me through oral and poster presentations. I enjoyed the independence I gained as a researcher, and I value the skills and experience.

What I wish was different

I wish there would have been more of a community in my work environment. I was often alone which was great to an extent. I learned that I value human interaction and leadership in my future jobs.