My name is Megan
Petersohn. I am a senior at Augustana
College. If you have the opportunity to be a part of Wartburg West, I suggest
you do it. This has been one of the best
experiences of my life.
Only a few students from
Augustana applied to this program because not many know about it. I double major in Biology and Neuroscience
along with a minor in Spanish. My
journey deciding on this discipline has been long and painful but this program
has shown me that I chose correctly.
Here in Denver, I intern at
Anschutz Medical Campus where I conduct research on Parkinson’s disease. I have learned so much in the small amount of
time I have been here: about myself, about research, and this type of career
path. If anyone reading this is a bit of
a science nerd, you may like to know that the lab I have been placed in has implemented
the most dopamine brain transplants ever.
My supervisor, Dr. Curt Freed, has become an iconic figure in the chase
to cure Parkinson’s disease and I get the opportunity to work with him. This lab has transplanted fetal brain cells
and pluripotent stem cells into the brains of people with Parkinson’s disease
and seen extraordinary results.
At my internship placement,
I have had the opportunity to work with scientists on different experiments
contributing to the cure for Parkinson’s disease. I have also been able to attend seminars
offered at Anschutz Medical Campus, allowing me to expand my knowledge on scientific
methods and findings. Last week, I
watched a fellow researcher slice a Parkinsonian brain into super thin slices,
making it easier to look at different areas of the brain. Next week, I am presenting at a poster session
as part of the Department of Medicine Research Day. Everything here has exceeded my expectations
of an internship experience and would not have been possible without Wartburg
West.
Outside of the internship,
however, Denver has so much to offer! I
grew up in a relatively small town in northern Illinois, so I am not used to
city life or the mountains (two things that were the biggest adjustments for
me). Being in the city is not something
I looked forward to but it hasn’t ceased to astonish me. I have eaten at
wonderful restaurants, met eccentric people, and experienced the breathtaking
nightlife in downtown Denver. I have
gone to a college football game, got scared at a nationally ranked haunted
house, and attended museums, a play and a neuroscience conference. I will still choose country over the city but
you should know, you can still find pieces of country in a big city like
Denver.
One of my favorite things
about living in Denver, Colorado is the short distance it takes you to end up
in the middle of nowhere, in a forest, or on top of a mountain. I can drive
thirty minutes and end up on a hiking trail in the foothills of the
Rockies. Give me an hour or two of
driving and I can end up at the highest incorporated city in the United States
(Leadville, CO). Three hours can get me
to one of my all-time favorite hikes. While
I have been in Denver for my internship, I have made it a personal requirement
to get out of the city at least once a week.
I have made trips to Leadville for the retreat where I went whitewater
rafting, to Golden, for hiking or floating down a creak, to a pumpkin patch to
pick out my own pumpkin, and even to Rocky Mountain National Park (RMNP), to
hike, see the bright yellow aspen trees, and to hear and see elk bugling. I even made a trip to Glenwood Springs where
I hiked Hanging Lake Trail. Hanging Lake
Trail is one of the best hikes I have ever made. If you have the chance to go there one day,
you should. The rewarding scenery at the
end of the hike is something I would imagine seeing on a tropical island
somewhere, but with mountains. The lake is
shallow and the water is almost transparent with an amazing emerald green
glow. Two waterfalls trickle into the
lake over cliffs.
All in all, this internship
in Denver has been the best thing for me.
I have had many amazing opportunities to learn, explore, and see things
I have never seen before while having to live alone in a city setting. It’s taken a lot to live on my own, away from
my family and friends in Illinois, but I’ve had a blast out here. Again, to whoever reading this, go to
Wartburg West and you will not be disappointed with your experience in Denver,
Colorado.
Sincerely,
Megan Petersohn (a very happy participatant of
Wartburg West)
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