Rishi Kata
High School Student Interested in Pre-Med and Buisness
Introduction
Science has always helped me make sense of the world and reduce the fear of uncertainty. My interest in science first sparked after learning about CRISPR and COVID-19 research at a biotech-focused research program offered by the Boston Leadership Institute, in the summer of 2021, where I was first exposed to Genetics. I worked with Dr. Lazebnik and learned about DNA coding and genomes along with the help of other scientists. Since interacting with professors and peers there, along with shadowing and numerous consultations with doctors, I realized that I have a passion for medical and science research.
My other hobbies are playing tennis for my high school team, creating music, watching the news, and exercising. I have enjoyed playing tennis since Elementary school and spend my weekends teaching tennis to autistic students. These experiences have made me realize how little people know about neurodiversity, leading me to volunteer with a non-profit called Kind Theory focused on neurodiversity education. I am attempting to incorporate this into our school curriculum with the help of school officials.
I also had the opportunity to shadow Nephrologist, Doctor Quan, at Children’s Renal Center in Dallas. I saw 4 newborn infants put on dialysis because their kidneys were not good enough to function without machine assistance. Some of the patients did not have kidneys at all. After seeing how confined and helpless they were, this made me feel the need to help them. This directed my medical aspirations directly into nephrology. This is why I wrote an article about the particular shortage and why we need more nephrologists.