Kadija Mussa

Standing in a lab in the Masonic Cancer Center in late August, 16-year-old intern Kadija Mussa feels a sense of purpose and comfort. "We have a lot of freedom, it's like home," she says.

Mussa spent the summer working as a paid intern in the laboratory of John Kersey, M.D., director of the Masonic Cancer Center. Kersey has invited one student from Washburn High School in Minneapolis to work in his lab every summer for the last few years.

Dr. Kersey, a 1956 graduate of Washburn, says that he provides the opportunity for today's students, because when he was a high school student, he says, "I would have liked to know more about health and science career opportunities."

Mussa, who came to the United States from Ethiopia two years ago with her parents and siblings, says her future goals include going to college to study biochemistry, an interest she recently discovered. Her passion for biochemistry is what now drives her in school. She says that she used to feel that school had no point. "Now I know what I'm going to do."

She has always been interested in studying diseases, and that was one of her main points in her application essay. She had a friend in Ethiopia whose grandmother had ovarian cancer. There was little hope for her. "Back in Africa, you get a disease, you just die from it," she says. Mussa was intrigued by the possibility that not all diseases, even cancer, are untreatable.

Mussa says she'd like to do something similar to what she has been doing during her internship. In the lab, Mussa has learned how to see bone marrow under the microscope. "I can see which cells are red and that's really cool," she says. Mussa's work has also included identifying different types of cells, staining cells for flow cytometry analysis, and counting cells.

John Kersey, M.D.

In her application for the internship, Mussa said one thing she wanted to learn from the position was how to work in a professional environment, as she had never had a job before. She feels she's accomplished that task, and learned an important lesson. "It's not where you work, it's who you work with." Her co-workers have taught her that personal relationships are one of the most important things one can build at work. They are the ones who have made her feel so at home. "They're really great," she says.

Mussa's internship ends in September as she begins her senior year at Washburn High School. She'll be taking both English and chemistry courses for college credit. She feels that the opportunity to work in Dr. Kersey's lab has been invaluable. "I'm lucky," she says. "You don't get this kind of chance a lot."

Dr. Kersey says he's enjoyed working with Mussa, and he hopes the internship has made her aware of "the fun and value" of career opportunities in science and health.