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November: Semester one, done

Total service hours as of 11/30: 12


This month I was able to volunteer at a farmer’s market in Mid City selling candles for Hagar’s House. Hagar’s house provides a safe space for women and children, and they have created opportunities for the women to earn money while staying there by making candles, lip balms, and herbal teas. It was so great to be able to safely engage with the community and the other vendors at the market while also feeling like we were making a difference for the women that would receive the sales proceeds.  I also volunteered with World Relief Durham while home in North Carolina for the Thanksgiving holiday. I prepared and delivered a meal for a refugee family that came from Afghanistan just two weeks prior. I attempted to make shorwa and shir berenj, which involved ensuring the meat I bought was halal and that I followed proper food preparation guidelines. When I delivered the meal to the family, we couldn’t see each other’s faces well (due to masks and distance) and there was a language barrier but I hoped to communicate a message of welcome. 

The last module of the semester was GI/neoplasia. Lots of our lectures focused on cancer biology and the vast array of pharmacologic treatment options available for different types of cancers. It is absolutely fascinating to learn about the mechanisms behind carcinogenesis and how targeted therapies are developed. I even got a little “lagniappe” in and talked with my dad about how the company he works for manufactures devices for making CAR-T cells. 


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