Five Weeks Until Move-In
My summer job at Stanford Medical Center started on a Monday in early July.
I arrived at 7 AM, nervous and excited, wearing business casual and carrying the coffee Kai had made me. The research lab was on the third floor a maze of microscopes, computers, and people in white coats who all looked incredibly smart and intimidating.
"Aria Sullivan?" A woman in her forties approached, hand extended. "I'm Dr. Patricia Chen, head of the research team. Welcome."
"Thank you for having me."
"Thank you for accepting. We don't often get undergraduate researchers, especially incoming freshmen. Your application was impressive."
She led me through the lab, introducing me to the team three grad students, two post-docs, and another undergraduate researcher named James who was a junior.
"You'll be working primarily with James on data analysis," Dr. Chen explained. "We're studying cellular regeneration in cardiac tissue. Fascinating stuff."
