Suwayda Said is a rising senior at Kamiak High School. She joined ISB to help create curricular resources for high school students across the nation to slightly demystify one of the world's most complex diseases: cancer. These resources will guide students through a labyrinth of cancer research, including but not limited to the direct relationship between cell overgrowth and signaling pathway mutations, as well as protein checkpoints and their fight against T-cells. This is a stepping stone to empower today's students, enabling them to hold a sizable knowledge base that could be expanded upon.
Suwayda wholeheartedly believes that the key to the future lies in today's youth. Young minds will be the architects of the future, and so, it is imperative to nurture their brains with ideas that could stimulate conversations leading to innovation. As Plutarch, a Greek historian, once said, "The mind is not a vessel to be filled but a fire to be kindled." Suwayda hopes to kindle the fiery passion within students by eliciting compassion through her consistent use of real patient examples and by highlighting the emotional tolls of cancer.
Through this approach, Suwayda believes that children can cultivate empathy alongside facts and figures. With the help of her enthusiastic partner, Layla Ismail, and her encouraging mentor, Claudia Ludwig, Suwayda hopes to see an implementation of her resources in programs such as the Systems Education Experiences (SEE) program. Educating the next generation is a rewarding task that envisions the possibility of enlightened, and ever-more curious children.