While most high school students spend the summer savoring their last moments as teenagers, senior Alexandra Llanes spent hers charting a different course. Being a last-year student at Coral Gables Senior High, she wanted to ensure she had plans once it was all over. With this momentum, she pursued the medical field.
As the University of Michigan is one of Llanes’s top schools, she wanted to explore the option before applying. During her junior year, she searched for summer programs on campus and discovered a two-week initiative on Summer Discovery. To be eligible for this program, Llanes went through the process of choosing the university she wanted to attend, turning in her school grades and making a payment. With Llanes being a repetitive honor roll student, this process was done with ease.
After being accepted, she flew to Ann Arbor in the Great Lake state on July 21. In this program, she took on two different fields: decoding biology and molecular biology. In these classes, Llanes took a deeper look into organic chemistry and participated in several labs about cell transportation, catalyst reactions and experiments with monomers and phospholipids.
Filled with continuous curiosity, Llanes also signed up for another course called Careers in Medicine. Having to initially take a pre-diagnostic survey revolving around potential majors within the medical field, she quickly found a match with dermatology. With a newfound take, Llanes went on tours throughout the medical school for U-M, specifically the Human Genetics department and learned the prerequisites needed to become a dermatologist.
“When I was younger, I had a lot of insecurities with my skin and by going to U-M and taking this course, my constant passion to better myself flourished into the passion to help others as well,” senior Llanes said.
Having the opportunity to get an insight of life on campus, senior Llanes got a taste of what her college years would be like, whether it be getting to class on time, getting her work done before due dates or going to sleep at a reasonable time. She also got the chance to understand even more about responsibility and being independent.
“When I saw this first-hand, it woke up a drive in me and it motivated me. I saw myself doing this in the future. I was able to envision my life very clearly and know that this is what I was meant to do,” senior Llanes said.
Despite a loaded summer full of college preparedness, Llanes’s efforts did not end there. Every Tuesday and Wednesday from June 17 to Aug. 9, she worked through a summer internship at Doctors Hospital in their physical therapy center. During the following weeks, she was able to interact with a wide range of patients and handle bedside management.
In addition, Llanes volunteered in the Global Leadership Summit Program as one of the hospital representatives. Hosted by Christ Journey Church, this was a two-day event that took place between Aug. 8 and Aug. 9., where Llanes helped pass out snacks, clean up during the services, register members and give out identification cards.
“[Llanes] was very excited months before summer, talking about her extracurriculars and all the activities she’s participated in. I’m so proud of her for taking the initiative to discover her career,” senior Melissa Sosa said.
Llanes’s summer journey has been transformative, laying a strong foundation for her future in dermatology. With an upcoming internship at Skin Local, she is set for her future, so much so that those around her can see she is truly on the path to success.
“Seeing Llanes so involved this summer, from her program at [U-M] to volunteering at the hospital, makes me really happy. She’s really setting herself up for success, especially since she wants to be a doctor. Her dedication is so inspiring to me, whether it’s getting hands-on experience in the medical field or lining up internships, she’s truly making it happen,” senior Emma Rivera said.
