I cannot believe my time at Children’s Hospital Colorado has come to an end. I have made so many friends, memories, and connections over the past ten weeks. I will miss my four fellow interns who completed this internship with me and my principal investigator tremendously. Saying goodbye was hard, and I did not realize how difficult it was going to be. This internship allowed me to grow in many different ways, and I feel like I am a new person. I am excited to see how I implement the skills and knowledge I gained from this internship into my everyday life.
Madi Lockwood ‘25 and I at the top of Mount Bierstadt.We ended our internship on a Wednesday night with a Musculoskeletal Research Center internship banquet. All of the research assistants were invited, along with the principal investigators and other orthopedic surgeons. We started the evening with dinner and eventually the interns and I all presented our research. I think we were all nervous, but in the end, we all ended up doing great. I was proud to talk about what we have learned about the biomechanics of a lifting motion in people who have a rotationplasty. I was able to talk about what our findings could mean for how these individuals go through rehabilitation and what exercises could be implemented. I loved listening to all of the other interns' presentations and their findings from this summer. After my presentation, I was asked numerous questions. These questions led to great discussions between the people at the banquet. I was surprised that I was able to add something to the conversation that was going on among the orthopedic surgeons. I think this just goes to show how far I have come this summer.
Since my last post, I have been trying to squeeze the rest of my Colorado bucket list in before I go home. On my last weekend, I climbed a 14,000-foot mountain (a 14er) with a fellow student from Cornell, Madi Lockwood ‘25. This had been the one thing I wanted to be sure to do this summer, and I am so lucky to have gotten to do it. We left my house before four in the morning to get to the mountain at a good time. We were blessed with wonderful weather and great views when we made it to the top. This hike was really hard, but we were able to push ourselves and make it to the top.
Some of my other experiences include going white water rafting. My cousin came up for the weekend, and we ventured to Idaho Springs. During our trip down the river, it started raining on us, which made for a fun day. We also went to Rocky Mountain National Park and hiked up to Chasm Lake. This hike was almost ten miles long. All of the work was worth it when we made it to the top. Something to be noted was that I met a Cornell alum at the top of the trail. I always love that I can meet Cornellians wherever I go. The last incredibly memorable event was going to Wicked at Buell Theatre in downtown Denver. My time in Colorado did not disappoint, and I am going to miss it.
This is at the top of Chasm Lake. Longs Peak is in the background which is the highest point in Rocky Mountain National Park. Children’s Hospital Colorado, specifically the Musculoskeletal Research Center, has taught me a lot about the environment I want to work in when I am out of school. The culture of this organization is so supportive, and it is always looking for ways to improve. I loved how supported I felt. I was never scared to ask questions, and I was given a lot of advice. I got to see how people with all different types of education were able to work together efficiently. I think this work environment helped me become the best I can be, and I can only hope to find a work environment like this in the future. I have learned so much from this internship, and I would like to thank everyone who helped make it possible.
This is a fun picture of how the other interns and I practiced our presentations. We even made our own podium!