Community Partner: MERIT (Medical Education Resources Initiative for Teens)
Intern: Justin Lee
Site Supervisors: Damien Myers and Eileen Kim
What is MERIT?
MERIT aims to eliminate health disparities by transforming underrepresented high school students into
health care leaders
Coming into CIIP, I had little idea of what the public education system in
Baltimore was like. However, on my first day of work, my supervisor quickly
brought me up to speed. My supervisor talked about how most Baltimore
City high school students aren’t getting the education they deserve and
need to thrive in the future. Even students who become valedictorians of
their respective high schools will likely struggle in a more intense
environment like college, which shouldn’t be blamed on the students. Most
schools in Baltimore City just don’t have enough resources or manpower to
properly educate all the individuals who walk through their doors. This is
where MERIT comes in. MERIT is a program that targets Baltimore City high
school students who are interested in being healthcare professionals,
exposes them to people who work in healthcare, and provides them with a
vast amount of resources to build their resumes and succeed in college and
beyond.
This past summer, I specifically worked with high school students who were
rising seniors in MERIT’s Science of Medicine internship. During the
mornings, students were taught lab techniques and college‐level biology.
After lunch, each of the students went to a research lab where they
conducted their own projects, which cumulated to a poster presentation
about their research. My favorite part of the summer was, by far,
interacting with the students. All of them are bright and talented
individuals, who grew more comfortable with me as the summer
progressed. By the end of the internship, I felt like I connected with some
of the students on a personal level and helped all of them learn valuable
skills in the lab that they could use in the future. I look forward to staying in
touch with all of the scholars that I helped teach this summer and
continuing to offer advice if they need it at any point in their journey in
medicine. Finally, I’d like to use this opportunity to thank Abby, Dr. Myers,
Ms. Kim, and the rest of the MERIT staff for supporting me and helping
make this an incredibly fulfilling summer! ‐ Justin
Tasks:
● Created individualized schedules, resume
handbooks, and a database of high school and
college summer internships for MERIT scholars
entering their junior and senior years
● Supported the lead instructor daily by completing
paperwork, preparing lab materials and study
guides, and retrieving lunches for scholars
● Mentored and educated scholars about lab
techniques, college‐level biology, and pre‐medical
life in college
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