Lani is an 11th grader in her first year at StreetSquash. Though it’s rare for a student to jump into our organization that late, she has the advantage of knowing exactly what she wants to do in life and is taking all the right steps to get there. 

She wants to be a neonatal and fetal surgeon. She first got a spark when she was eight years old.

“I always knew I wanted to be a doctor because I enjoy helping people,” Lani said. “Then I knew I liked working with kids so I was thinking a pediatric doctor. And then I was introduced to research.” 

She drew inspiration from a book she was reading.

“I think it was a human body book,” Lani said. “It was about surgeons and cardiothoracic surgeons and I thought the idea of surgery was really cool and interesting. The idea that you could heal someone from the inside by repairing what really makes the body work stood out to me.” 

She continued to piece together all of these elements to ultimately arrive at being a pediatric surgeon, but pushed things even further. 

“Why sell myself short,” Lani said. “Then I couldn’t decide between neonatal and fetal surgery, and I thought why not master both?” 

It’s a specific and ambitious goal for the 11th grader, but one she’s confident she’ll achieve. 

This past fall, Lani took an online pre-college course at Columbia University called Medicine as a Career Choice: Thinking Like a Doctor.

“I really enjoyed what we had to do but I was a little bit nervous going into it because it was an online course,” Lani said. “But it was just as engaging and informational and I was really grateful for it.” 

That course helped confirm that the path she’s on is the one she wants to continue taking.

“It made me feel very confident in what I wanted to do with my life,” Lani said. “And the professor was a retired surgeon and speaking with her and having conversations with her really motivated me. It made me feel like I was on the right track.” 

Now, she’ll have the opportunity to pursue this further at Harvard University this summer, where she’ll embark on a 4-week course and earn college credit from one of the most prestigious universities in the world. 

She’s taking a course called The Molecules of Life, Nature, and Industry, which is all about the fundamentals of organic chemistry. 

“I know from my research that organic chemistry is the make-it-or-break-it course on the pre-med track for most students,” Lani said. “Being able to take a course in that field is very motivational. Plus I feel like I’m able to get ahead of the game a little bit and prepare myself for what I’m actually going to experience when I’m in college.” 

And she’s not wrong. According to Kaplan, organic chemistry is often one of the many prerequisites required for medical school.

Lani was overjoyed to learn she’d have the opportunity to take this course at Harvard.

“I was so excited,” Lani said. “For it to be Harvard itself is such an amazing accomplishment. Having the opportunity to even apply, I can’t even put it into words. Getting the acceptance was an amazing thing to find out.” 

The experience will be completely new to her.

“I’m definitely a little nervous,” Lani said. “It’s the longest I’ll have ever been away from home. But I’m excited to see what an actual college campus looks and feels like, especially an Ivy League institution like Harvard.” 

Lani plans to apply to Harvard, Stanford, UPenn, and Princeton next year. She’ll also send applications to Bowdoin College, Swarthmore College, and Williams College. 

In the short term, she’s just looking forward to the summer of 2024.

“The opportunity to have gotten a scholarship from StreetSquash was such a blessing and I’m very grateful for it,” Lani said. “I’m so excited for this summer.”