2018 CIIP Program Book CIIP Booklet 2018 | Page 40

These past few weeks have been an emotional rollercoaster for me. For starters, this is the
first summer away from home. Before this internship, I had never worked in the nonprofit sec-
tor. As a Hopkins student, I had reservations and fears about interacting with Baltimore City
youth. To sum it up, I was a tense ball of anxiety coming into CIIP. But as I’m coming close to
end and taking time to reflect on my experiences, I can confidently say that I would not have
spent my summer any other way!
As all of my CIIP predecessors have done in the past, I was assigned to work on f’s Art of
Medicine Internship (AMI), an intensive five-week program for their rising juniors to partic-
ipate in clinical shadowing at Johns Hopkins. Working with these students and having the
opportunity to hear their stories and goals have honestly been the highlight of my summer.
Seeing them work hard and stay focused during a time where many of their peers are relax-
ing at home is inspiring. Each one of them wants to make a difference in this city and be-
come healthcare professionals. Although the program was only five weeks, I became a fan of
the students from week one, and I’m sure my predecessors can agree. These students are the
future of Baltimore, and to be a part of that is incredible.
• Facilitate MERIT’s pre-med-
ical summer internship
for 34 underrepresented,
Baltimore City high school
students at the Johns Hop-
kins Hospital
• Assist instructor with teach-
ing clinical curriculum and
utilizing grading tracker in
cataloging students’ perfor-
mance in the program
• Advise MERIT scholars on
clinical shadowing, college
applications, and career
goals
I will end this blurb with a cute anecdote. While I was at Artscape this year, I was wearing my
MERIT T-shirt. I had three instances where people approached me saying how fantastic MER-
IT was and how the organization has impacted their lives. I became more filled with pride
after every conversation and to be honest, felt like a Baltimorean or like I had an impact on
the community. It was a heartwarming experience and one of the biggest takeaways from my
CIIP experience at MERIT.
Community Partner: MERIT
Intern: Keone Aliphios
Site Supervisor: Tina Kanonuhwa
What is MERIT?
MERIT aims to eliminate health care disparities
by transforming underrepresented high school
students into healthcare leaders.
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