STEM Alumni Spotlight: Surbhi Bansil
Tell us, what was YOUR first JEP or YSP assignment?
I started with the Young Scientists Program in the fall of my senior year, and I taught 1st grade STEM curriculum at Norwood Elementary. In the spring of my senior year, I taught 5th grade STEM curriculum at Norwood.
How did your time with JEP/YSP help prepare you for life after college?
YSP positively impacted my life in so many ways. Growing up, I struggled with public speaking and leadership skills. With YSP–with the new responsibility of needing to manage a classroom full of young students that are looking up to you–I felt myself grow in confidence and leadership as I pushed myself to provide them with the best learning experience possible. I also found myself realizing how much I enjoy academics. After teaching for YSP, I decided to continue building my passion and experiences with education during my gap year between undergrad and medical school by writing curriculum for JEP’s Cancer Education Initiative and teaching 7th grade Life Science and 10th grade Biology for the USC Leslie and William McMorrow Neighborhood Academic Initiative. All of these experiences helped foster my passion for education and mentorship, and I’ve decided that I would like to work in Academic Medicine in my future career as a physician.
Please tell us a little about your experience in medical school.
I’ve dreamt of becoming a physician since I was a kid, and I feel so honored to have been offered a spot in the class of 2023 at the University of Hawai’i John A. Burns School of Medicine. I’m currently a third year student, just starting my clinical rotations to explore the various medical specialties. Through my experiences working with the Cancer Education Initiative and YSP, I realized how much I love the field of oncology and working with kids. Because of this, one of my top considerations for specialty is Pediatric Hematology & Oncology.
What is one thing you would like to share with current JEP/YSP participants?
When applying for graduate school and other higher education programs, I found my experiences working with JEP/YSP really stand out in my applications and interviews. Some of my interviewers for medical school made it a point to talk about how amazing programs like YSP are and how YSP teaching assistants are helping to grow a foundation of interest in STEM in these kids that would not have otherwise had the exposure to it. So moving forward, be sure to give it your all when you’re in the classroom with these kids because you’re their role models and you’re really making a difference in their lives!