Support
This summer, I served as a Public Speaking & Global Outreach Trainer (Volunteer) with Junior Chamber International, JCI Banias, working fully remotely from June through September 2026. I led virtual public speaking training sessions in English for students from diverse backgrounds, designing workshops focused on communication skills, confidence-building, and audience engagement. I mentored participants on improving their verbal communication and managing public speaking anxiety, and coordinated with international JCI chapters, including JCI New York, to foster global collaboration. I also participated in international meetings and leadership development initiatives.
Going into this, my goals were to get better at actually teaching people how to speak confidently, not just doing it myself, get more comfortable working across different cultures and countries, and figure out how to lead people when I'm not even in the same room as them. Honestly, all three ended up being harder and more rewarding than I expected. Working with students from so many different backgrounds forced me to constantly adjust how I explained things and how I gave feedback, since what worked for one person didn't always work for another. Coordinating with chapters like JCI New York showed me how differently people communicate and organize depending on where they're from, and doing all of it remotely meant I had to figure out how to build trust and keep people engaged without ever meeting them in person, which is not something that comes naturally to me.
This internship also reminded me why I care about the intersection of communication, education, and connecting with people from different backgrounds in the first place. As someone on the MD/PhD track, most of my summer experiences are lab-based, so this was a good reminder that being a good physician-scientist isn't just about the science, it's also about being able to explain things clearly, mentor people, and connect with them, whether that's a patient, a research team, or a student learning to speak in public for the first time.
I also want to say a genuine thank you to my donor, Grandma Doris Ferry Oakes '56, for making this opportunity possible. Having that support meant I could take on meaningful volunteer work this summer without worrying about the financial side of things, and I'm really grateful for everything she's done to help me grow this year.