Receiving an Internship Opportunity with the Aspirnaut Program at Vanderbilt U. Medical Center

I was able to inch closer to achieving my dreams by attaining a ten-week, summer internship position with the Aspirnaut Program at Vanderbilt University Medical Center. 

The Aspirnaut Program, which I have briefly mentioned in My New Year’s Aspirations 2022 blogpost, is an undergraduate biomedical research program supported by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) in the division of Kidney, Urologic, and Hematological Diseases (KUH). The revered program will develop students’ experience in crafting, designing, and conducting experiments and presenting results in the field of “Renal Biology and Disease.” Under the mentorship of Dr. Billy Hudson, Ph.D., students will be directed to assignments and engage in research for the full ten weeks of the internship. Much more information can be found on the Aspirnaut Undergraduate Internships page.

Receiving acceptance into a prestigious biomedical research program was an honor I did not fully believe I was capable of achieving as a first-year undergraduate student. But when I heard back from the program’s committee in late February, I was elated to have earned the opportunity to conduct research—something I was never able to do before.

The “acceptance letter” reads as in the image that follows:

The decision for me was almost immediate, I knew that I wanted to partake the opportunity to earn my first ever experience in the field of biomedical research. I would reply the following morning.

While the research is in “renal biology and disease”, and not the intended cancer biology or genetic therapeutics I hope to devote my study pursuits to in the future, I am still very appreciative to have the opportunity to explore a crucial part of my career field (scientist) very early. In fact, as a first-year undergraduate, I would have been satisfied with anything.

In a later post, I will surely reflect on my experience at the Aspirnaut Program at Vanderbilt University Medical Center along with the amazing things I have witnessed and learned.

This will become one new piece in the shaping of my future, and I couldn’t be anymore grateful for the opportunity!