Sara Paredes

I'm mentored by a neurosurgeon, observing him work with patients with primary and secondary brain tumors in the clinic and operation room. Additionally, I'm a member of my mentor's lab's slice culture electrophysiology team at the Herbert Irving Comprehensive Cancer Center.

I attended monthly meetings where we discussed the values St. Jude Children's Research Hospital was founded with and how they continue to shape valuable leadership today and fundraising strategies. We worked in small cohorts and came up with events and ways to spread childhood cancer awareness. I also raised $3,000 for St. Jude's patients.

As a co-leader of the Dominican team at the annual culture night, I'm in charge of bringing in traditional Dominican food, and reporting to our advisor the number of participants in the team, and possible performers. I also work with teammates to coordinate event logistics.

I participated in a partnership with a local non-profit organization named CEBSE, which focuses on Caribbean Sea Conservation, from which I learned skills in whale, coral, and fish identification, beach cleanups, mud-house building, mangrove restoration, greenhouse restoration, leadership, and team building. Additionally, I helped translate many of these lessons for non-Spanish speaking students and non-English speaking staff.

Educating visitors, primarily children, on wildlife conservation and sustainability through engaging hands-on activities around the Bronx Zoo, giving visitors directions around the zoo, answering questions about the zoo’s history or the animals in it, participating in team building activities with other discovery guides, and collecting signatures from visitors in support of designating the Hudson Canyon as a National Marine Sanctuary.