Coming into Fred Hutch for the first time at 8:30 am was a scary feeling. I didn’t know anyone there nor what to expect. I walked in not knowing where to sit, but within the first 30 minutes, I was already having a conversation. By the end of the day, I had learned so much while still having a really good time. So I came in the next day feeling better about myself. This allowed me to be more confident in discussions and my answers adding more to my experience.
One of the highlights of the program was the lab visits. Going to all the different labs allowed me to learn so much about what the day to day life looks like in Fred Hutch. I learned about the many different projects the scientists were working on. In my opinion, lab tours were the most interesting part of the program.
One of the most interesting things we learned about was CRISPR. Learning about CRISPR was extremely interesting to me because of how unique it is. I had never done anything like it before. It can be confusing but once you understand it, you will be shocked by how fun it is to do. CRISPR is basically when a CAS9 protein is paired with a gRNA and is then put into the gene. The gRNA is there to guide the CAS9 protein to the specific place in the DNA where you want to cut. From there you could either try to insert a piece of DNA that you want or you could observe what happens to the gene when a mutation occurs. We mainly did this to see how long how our BRCA1 DNA would be after cutting which was a really cool process to see and experience.
To conclude, these past two weeks at Fred Hutch has been such a life-changing experience. I’ve learned so much about cancer and biology in general while still having a lot of fun. I have also made some really good friends that have made me laugh so much. I met a lot of scientists that have told me their life stories which shows me that anything is possible no matter where you’re from or who you are. While doing all this I not only had fun, but also improved how I interact with people and view different things. To summarize I’m going to miss Fred Hutch and all the people in it. I hope the next explorers will experience the time of their lives as I have!
SWAG? Anyways I hope we keep in touch!