Senior Diya Patel had the incredible opportunity to spend her summer in a lab at University of Illinois Chicago-Rockford studying lung cancer. At the end of the summer, she delivered an outstanding capstone presentation at the Dennis Klenk Biomedical Summer Science Forum on the Development of a Biometric Lung Cancer-Brain Assembloid Model for Investigating Brain Metastasis.

Diya is interested in pursuing science and medicine after she graduates from Boylan, so this seemed like the perfect opportunity for her to pursue. Her project focused on studying lung cancer in the laboratory. She and her team grew cancer cells into small, three-dimensional groups called spheroids. They also studied how the cancer cells interacted with other nearby cells, which helped them better understand how tumors grow in the body. 

“Through this project, I learned about cell culture, teamwork, laboratory research, and presenting scientific information. I also gained a better understanding of how research can help scientists learn more about cancer.”

“I found out about the opportunity online and also heard about it from my siblings and Mr. Hohn. To apply, I had to write an essay and submit three letters of recommendation. After my application was reviewed, I participated in an in-person interview and was assigned to a laboratory. I was excited to be selected because the internship allowed me to explore my interests in medicine and science.” 

Her Boylan education helped her be prepared and stand out among the other applicants. Diya explained, “Boylan helped prepare me both academically and personally. My challenging classes gave me the background I needed to apply for and succeed in the internship. Boylan also pushed me to step outside my comfort zone and communicate with new people. This helped me work with my lab team and present my research in front of a large audience.”

“When I came to Boylan, I didn’t know how many opportunities I would have to challenge myself, discover my interests, and prepare for my future.”