This summer I had the amazing opportunity of being a lead intern of the CHOC Children’s Medical Intelligence and Innovation Institute summer internship program. Last summer, I was an MI3 intern, which I initially heard about from other Chapman students who had participated in the internship. I filled out the online application as soon as it opened and was notified of my acceptance to the program that spring.

My experience as a lead intern differed greatly from the previous summer mostly because of the increased responsibilities. I worked with the lead intern team to coordinate and assign clinical rotations to 45 interns, design afternoon workshops and field trips, and organize mentor sessions with physicians and other hospital employees.

Last summer I served on medical staff at Camp Conrad Chinnook, a teen Diabetes camp in Big Bear, and this summer I was asked to select a group of MI3 interns to bring back to this year’s Diabetes camp for one week in July. Working together on the medical team at Camp Conrad, we helped campers manage their high and low blood sugars and administer insulin while the teens got to enjoy the adventures of summer camp.

This summer I also began working as a medical scribe in the CHOC Endocrinology clinic where I gained experience in the medical field by learning about a variety of Endocrine disorders in the pediatric population while assisting physicians in entering information into patients’ charts during visits. The opportunities that I took part in this summer arose from my initial participation in the MI3 program last summer and the contacts I made there. I have experienced so much growth in my leadership and understanding of my interests in the medical field and future goals through spending time with medical professionals and their willingness to share and mentor students in the MI3 program.

During my spare weekends this summer I had the remarkable opportunity to work as a personal care assistant for a student on campus, which varied greatly from my experiences in hospitals and taught me so much about patient care and the personal nature of health care in building relationships with patients. I would like to thank Dr. Sharief Taraman and Dr. Anthony Chang for giving me this opportunity, as well as my fellow lead interns and Endocrine scribes for being so supportive and making this summer one to remember.