Najat Belayneh
Biochemistry Intern
Wellesley College
"Having an internship helps
you identify which direction
you want to take."
Najat Belayneh has always taken a keen interest in science and now aims to pursue a career in medicine. Her dedication to biology and chemistry studies at BHCC has paid off, allowing her to gain valuable experience that has helped land her acceptance into Wellesley College. This summer, Najat was awarded a competitive, paid internship in the Chemistry Department of Wellesley College's Science Center through the National Science Foundation- Research Experiences for Undergraduates program. Balancing being a mother of a young daughter, Najat's hard work and determination has now placed her ahead of the game as she finishes up her first semester of Biochemistry studies at Wellesley.
Najat, a native Ethiopian, also grew up in Dubai and Jordan before moving to the United States to continue her goal of going to medical school and becoming a doctor. Going into her internship Najat simply thought she was going to be working on mice, but the experience proved to be a lot more challenging and rewarding. "I learned more about cells and their relationship to proteins in the body, which related with the cell biology class that I was taking [at BHCC]." Najat performed research in the Wolfson Lab under the professional guidance of her advisor Dr. Adele Wolfson. Her project focused on controlling the enzyme TOP which is found in elevated levels in prostate cancer cells.
Throughout the whole summer Najat kept busy interning full time. Each day "we would show up in the office, put on our lab coats and go into the culture lab to look at the cells and check if they looked confluent, or still had room to grow. We would then seed them, collect them and then count them using skills that I learned in my classes." Through this internship Najat was also able to attend various workshops around the Boston area where she established connections with other campuses' science programs. She describes her favorite lab project as the part where she had to thaw cells, deseed them, stain them and observe them. "It was really cool" she stated.
Through this STEM internship and her connection with Professor Wolfson she was able to explore research in the area of biochemistry, which is "very good if you are a science student and want to experience some practice." She was also pleased with how the experience helped improve her agility in the lab, commenting "I am much faster now at lab skills."
Currently Najat plans on taking the MCAT's next semester and preparing to apply to medical school the following year. She was also inspired to do another internship this upcoming summer and wants to try something new. This experience has helped her to identify which direction and career path she really wants to take. "There are things you will learn a lot more through doing than through just reading."
Najat credits the BHCC STEM Club and her professors for their support in hosting several meetings on internships and helping her complete the intense application materials process. "You get a lot of information from STEM meetings. I would recommend all science students to attend these meetings." This internship even helped her improve her presentation and people skills, and has helped her take a big step in the direction towards one day becoming a doctor. She urges fellow students to "make sure to get involved sooner rather than later."
