Hello everyone! My name is Yaretzi and I am a rising junior at The Bush School. I was honored to be selected for the 2026 Pathways Research Explorers Program. During my time at Fred Hutch, I’ve gained a lot of valuable experiences, including time in the lab, learning from guest speakers, and building connections with my peers. On the first day of the Explorers program, I felt nervous, as it was my first time working in a lab and experiencing what research truly looks like. Lu

Hello! My name is Portia. I am a rising junior at Ballard High School, and I have been so appreciative to be a part of the Session 2 Research Explorers Program here at The Fred Hutch Cancer Center. It seems cliche to say that only two weeks out of my entire summer was an opportunity of a lifetime, but that is exactly what I believe. Every day we had the opportunity to learn about a wide variety of fields biomedical research, basic understandings of the development and growth

Hello, my name is Adelle, and I am a rising junior at The Overlake School in Redmond Washington. This summer, I participated in session 2 of the Explorers Program, and I am so grateful to have had this incredible opportunity. Throughout the program, I have learned so many lessons that I will carry forward, discovered my own interest in translational research, gained a better understanding of how the research process works, and have been able to learn a lot of amazing scientif

Hi, I'm Mishika, a rising sophomore at Skyline High School and I was in session 2. My time at the Fred Hutch Pathways Explorers program was the highlight of my summer, and I will always remember it. I got exposed to so many careers I didn't even know existed and got to learn so many cool new things! During the program we got to hear from several guest speakers from Fred Hutch. One of my personal favorites was Dr. Raabya and Dr. Paul's lecture. Both of them are part of the Edl

Hi! My name is Trisha, and I am a rising sophomore at Inglemoor High School. I am so grateful to have been a part of the 2026 Fred Hutch Explorers Session 2 cohort because I got to learn so many new things and meet so many amazing people. Over the past two weeks, we have gone on tours, listened to lectures, and – my personal favorite – done wet labs. All of these experiences have further strengthened my interest in science and research. Throughout this program, I have met pe

The Fred Hutch Explorers Program was an amazing opportunity that made me aware of new paths in my life. The program had so many great experiences, like tours, lectures, and lab projects. One activity that I really enjoyed was the talk about liquid biopsies from Dr. Abizar Lakdawalla. Liquid biopsies are a way to screen for cancerous tumors that are cheaper and less dangerous than the previous method, tissue samples. When cells die, their DNA can be released into the bloodstre

Hello to all readers! My name is Barbara, an upcoming junior at Kent Meridian. I was one of the few lucky participants to get accepted into the Explorers. I initially applied to this program to test how it would be to have a career in the research part of medicine. Even though I am mostly interested in the clinical side of it, I really wanted to gain hands-on experience and work alongside professionals who are actively working in improving healthcare; I’m glad I stepped out o

For me, the Fred Hutch Explorers program has been both an amazing introduction into the biomedical sciences as well as a glimpse into the many careers and day-to-day lives of scientists. We toured through countless labs and facilities, conversing with all of various scientists and medical professionals - from the Allen Institute to the various guest speakers presenting their life works. At the Allen Institute One of the first highlights of my time here was touring the geno

These past two weeks I took part in the Fred Hutch Pathways Research Explorers Program. At first I felt intimidated given it was my first time in a semi-professional environment, let alone a lab. Frankly, I entered being unsure of what to expect and not knowing a single thing about research. As we quickly delved into the foundational skills used in benchside work and conducted experiments integrating laboratory instruments while simultaneously simulating the research environm

I’m Quentin, and I’m going into my junior year at Garfield High School. I participated in session 2 of Explorers this year, and I was honored by the chance to take part in this incredible opportunity at Fred Hutch. Before Fred Hutch, I’d never had any lab experience, and the lab at Fred Hutch was a great place to start. They helped us every step of the way, while still giving us the freedom to create our own lab protocol and learn from our mistakes. My favorite lab was our CR

My name is Kali and I am a rising junior at North Kitsap High School. Before my first day of this two weeklong internship, I remember being anxious about what was in store for me. If I could go back in time, I would tell myself to relax and simply enjoy my time spent during this program, because there was nothing to fret over. Fred Hutch is a warm and welcoming environment that simultaneously motivates you to do better every single day. The Explorers program includes multiple

The past two weeks at this program have been invaluable, from touring labs, attending symposiums, and listening to various lectures given by people from different parts of the Hutch. This experience has taught me so much about various lab techniques, career paths, and most importantly, the value of collaboration in science. Scientific discoveries are hardly ever made in isolation, and through everything we did and saw in this internship, that really showed through. My favori

Hi! My name is Yuna and I am a rising junior at Bellevue High School. This summer, I was an explorer at the Fred Hutch Explorer’s program, where we learned about a myriad of topics, ranging from laboratory tours to wet-lab procedures. I gained numerous fundamental laboratory skills, such as micropipetting, creating gels for electrophoresis, and extracting DNA. This program provided many immersive research experiences that extended far beyond what traditional classrooms could

Hi, my name is Ibtisam and I am a rising sophomore at University Prep! I am so glad to have had the opportunity to attend the Fred Hutch Explorers program. It has been an amazing experience, and being able to participate has opened my eyes to a multitude of career possibilities and has taught me the vast array of disciplines that work together to allow Fred Hutch to function efficiently. Almost every day of the program, our cohort was able to hear informational lectures giv

My name is Ava, and I am a rising sophomore at Mercer Island High School. Participating in the Fred Hutch Pathways Research Explorers Program has been an incredible introduction to biomedical research and the world of wet-lab science. Throughout the program, I had the opportunity to explore the groundbreaking research being conducted at Fred Hutch through lab tours, presentations, and conversations with accomplished scientists. I also developed essential laboratory skills, in