Kanwulia is a rising senior at Eastside Catholic High school and will be graduating in the class of 2021. Kanwulia has multiple passions inside and outside of school, and she incorporates her determination and drive towards many endeavors. This includes volleyball, a sport a part of her life since she was in 4th grade. She became team captain her junior year, where she was able to grow her leadership and team-building skills. Kanwulia is also heavily involved in choir, where she can continue her strong passion for singing that she has had since a young age. She got elected for the role of section leader for her alto group in choir. This meant she would help lead her alto group in certain songs and help them grow in their techniques. Kanwulia also enjoys getting involved in leadership experiences, and academic opportunities to make a positive impact in her school. Her sophomore year she got elected to be a member of National Honors society, a high academic honor club where the members tutor other kids to help them grow in certain academic areas. Kanwulia also appreciates indulging and learning about many different cultures, which led her to become a member of her school’s Spanish Honors Society sophomore year. Then her junior year, she was elected to become vice president. Her proudest accomplishment would be co-founding her school’s first Black Student Union. Advocating for inclusivity and amplifying diverse voices has always been a priority to Kanwulia, so this was a way to bring her school towards a positive diverse direction. Kanwulia brings her passion and drive to many ventures outside of school as well. She has been a camp counselor for her parish’s vocational bible camp for two summers in a row. Kanwulia is a volunteer member of Eastside Friends, which is a program dedicated to taking care of senior citizens. Kanwulia also has put work into starting her own podcast speaking on issues involving diversity that take place in America, where she continues to amplify voices that need to be heard. Overall, Kanwulia in her spare time loves to hang out with friends and family, spread positivity, go shopping, sing, and play volleyball of course!
This ISB internship is definitely an experience that has impacted Kanwulia life forever. From the amazing community of people, she has met, the incredible mentors that she gets to learn from everyday in the summer, and the great connections she made in the world of science. Kanwulia specifically got chosen for the systems medicine team. That team has given her the experience of participating in multiple labs to improve the curriculum in the modules that are made accessible to many students and teachers. These labs include the gut microbiome lab, and the blood processing lab. The discoveries of this lab gear towards the info that can be found in our blood if we separate the layers. As well as how our microbiome in our gut is affected by antibiotics. Kanwulia’s favorite part of this internship is the community she gets to learn from and be involved in. Kanwulia experiences such positive people every day and learns from them. She has learned so many different skills as well. Whether it is about asking the right questions towards scientists, creating her professional LinkedIn profile, etc. Kanwulia’s career goal has always been set on becoming a doctor, specifically an oncologist. Now with isb, it has only strengthened that career desire. However, now it has added an aspect of possible research Kanwulia would want to take on in the future. The topic on the microbiome has sparked a huge interest in Kanwulia and is possibly something she would want to pursue further in her career. Overall, isb has been a life changing experience for Kanwulia and has left her with skills, lessons, and experiences she will cherish.
For future interns I’m always here to support you: konianwa@outlook.com !