Senior Spotlight: Ren
What are your plans after you graduate?
I’ll be going to college at Claremont McKenna, majoring in integrated science while on the pre-med track. I plan to go to medical school and one day become a physician, and more specifically, a surgeon.
How do you feel Bennett has prepared you for what comes next?
Bennett fosters an environment that has helped me grow as an individual and as a member of my community. I have become much more independent and responsible, as evident in my improved time management skills. I’ve also become confident in my ability to work in group settings, no matter the task or environment I am in. I consider all of these things to be essential life skills that will greatly benefit me when I am soon attending college across the country.
Why did you choose/decide to go to Bennett Day School?
I decided to go to Bennett because of their unique approach to learning and their respect for students’ lives outside of school. As a prospective student, I valued how Bennett supported students in focusing on their own educational interests while still becoming well-informed in other subjects.
What’s your favorite project-based learning (PBL) memory?
My favorite PBL project was my junior-year capstone project on extremophiles. In this, my partner and I conducted a lab experiment with tardigrades and how they tolerate extreme temperatures. We estimated the amount of living tardigrades in our sample before and after exposing them to high temperatures and then wrote a research paper using our results. The project was very interesting and beneficial in further developing my laboratory skills. Overall, it was an amazing opportunity to have as a high school student.
Tell us about your internship experience(s) at Bennett.
I’ve had the opportunity to do two internships during my time at Bennett. In my junior year, I interned at The Pazio Institute, an alternative and regenerative medicine clinic in the West Loop. During my senior year, I was able to intern for and shadow Dr. Frederic M. Ettner, a family medicine physician located in Lincoln Wood.
What advice would you give rising seniors?
I cannot recommend summer programs enough; they are so incredibly helpful for gauging your interest in a subject or career, as well as for gaining independence. Additionally, don’t take what time you have left for granted—senior year flies by faster than you’d think. Hang out with your friends, plan senior events, step out of your comfort zone, etc.
