My name is Grace Hutton and I am currently a senior in high school. I aspire to become a physician and currently plan to specialize in pathology either carrying out diagnostics within a hospital or carrying out research into various diseases that affect humanity. All my life I have felt a pull toward the medical field which has increased as I grew and learned more and had personal and professional experiences that fostered this interest. When I was seven years old my little brother, Henry, abruptly passed away from spinal cancer. As a result of this I became interested in pediatric oncology and hoped to cure cancer; by the time I turned nine I became engrossed in documentaries about various rare diseases and disorders, primarily those stemming from genetic disorders. My interest in diseases and disorders morphed into an interest in cellular and genetic research to help diagnose and target disease as early as possible thus rendering my desire to specialize in pathology. This year, I entered into the New Vision Allied Health program which is offered to high school seniors through CITI BOCES. As part of this program I have had the opportunity to gain skills in writing and professionalism, college credits, and experience by shadowing medical professionals. Over the course of the year, I have visited various departments within the Oswego Health System and spent six weeks in the pathology department where I shadowed histotechnologists, the cytologist, and pathologists. While at this site I gained understanding of how samples are collected and prepared for viewing, what the pathologist and cytologist look for when viewing slides under a microscope, and the tissue storage policies and procedures required by the state. This experience broadened my knowledge of the field and confirmed my desire to enter into pathology. In the fall, I plan to enroll at SUNY Geneseo as a biology major in order to truly begin my journey. In thw future I want to help people by diagnosing possible disorders; I also have an interest in research and hope to look into the different ways that technology, particularly machine learning, may be used to improve diagnostics. With improved methods of diagnosis, disorders and diseases will be caught early which can allow for earlier treatment thus creating improved outcomes for patients. Overall, I want to be a truly good medical professional and ensure that people receive the best service possible when it comes to their healthcare needs.

My name is Grace Hutton and I am currently a senior in high school. I aspire to become a physician and currently plan to specialize in pathology either carrying out diagnostics within a hospital or carrying out research into various diseases that affect humanity. All my life I have felt a pull toward the medical field which has increased as I grew and learned more and had personal and professional experiences that fostered this interest. When I was seven years old my little brother, Henry, abruptly passed away from spinal cancer. As a result of this I became interested in pediatric oncology and hoped to cure cancer. By the time I turned nine I became engrossed in documentaries about various rare diseases and disorders, primarily those stemming from genetic disorders. My interest in diseases and disorders morphed into an interest in cellular and genetic research to help diagnose and target disease as early as possible thus rendering my desire to specialize in pathology. This year, I entered into the New Vision Allied Health program which is offered to high school seniors through CITI BOCES. As part of this program I have had the opportunity to gain skills in writing and professionalism, college credits, and experience by shadowing medical professionals. Over the course of the year, I have visited various departments within the Oswego Health System and spent six weeks in the pathology department where I shadowed histotechnologists, the cytologist, and pathologists. While at this site I gained understanding of how samples are collected and prepared for viewing, what the pathologist and cytologist look for when viewing slides under a microscope, and the tissue storage policies and procedures required by the state. This experience broadened my knowledge of the field and supported my desire to enter into pathology. Apart from learning technical and professional skills, I have gained insight into issues which are currently present in the field, especially cybersecurity. With the expanding use of technology in medicine for the processing and storage of protected health information (PHI), the risk of data being stolen by cubercriminals grows infinitesimally: considering the vast number of users who do not understand the importance of computer security, risks continue to grow. As a citizen, I will support the passage and implementation of legal policies, that build upon the HIPAA privacy rule, regulating cybersecurity in healthcare facilities to keep PHI safe. As a professional, I will keep as informed on cybersecury issues and follow proper practices to keep patient data safe. To fulfill my goals I will be entering college in the fall where I plan to major in biology and follow the pre-medical track. During my undergraduate years I will be involved in campus activities, learn as much as possible, and accumulate patient facing hours. I know that by continuing along the path I am I can create the best version of myself and help people living in the world around me.

My name is Grace Hutton and I am currently a senior in high school. I aspire to become a physician and currently plan to specialize in pathology either carrying out diagnostics within a hospital or carrying out research into various diseases that affect humanity. All my life I have felt a pull toward the medical field which has increased as I grew and learned more and had personal and professional experiences that fostered this interest. When I was seven years old my little brother, Henry, abruptly passed away from spinal cancer. As a result of this I became interested in pediatric oncology and hoped to cure cancer. By the time I turned nine I became engrossed in documentaries about various rare diseases and disorders, primarily those stemming from genetic disorders. My interest in diseases and disorders morphed into an interest in cellular and genetic research to help diagnose and target disease as early as possible thus rendering my desire to specialize in pathology. This year, I entered into the New Vision Allied Health program which is offered to high school seniors through CITI BOCES. As part of this program I have had the opportunity to gain skills in writing and professionalism, college credits, and experience by shadowing medical professionals. Over the course of the year, I have visited various departments within the Oswego Health System and spent six weeks in the pathology department where I shadowed histotechnologists, the cytologist, and pathologists. While at this site I gained understanding of how samples are collected and prepared for viewing, what the pathologist and cytologist look for when viewing slides under a microscope, and the tissue storage policies and procedures required by the state. This experience broadened my knowledge of the field and supported my desire to enter into pathology. Apart from learning technical and professional skills, I have gained insight into issues which are currently present in the field, especially cybersecurity. With the expanding use of technology in medicine for the processing and storage of protected health information (PHI), the risk of data being stolen by cubercriminals grows infinitesimally: considering the vast number of users who fo not understand the importance of computer security, risks continue to grow. As a citizen, I will support the passage and implementation of legal policies, that build upon the HIPAA privacy rule, regulating cybersecurity in healthcare facilities to keep PHI safe. As a professional, I will keep as informed on cybersecury issues and follow proper practices to keep patient data safe. To fulfill my goals I will be entering college in the fall where I plan to major in biology and follow the pre-medical track. During my undergraduate years I will be involved in campus activities, learn as much as possible, and accumulate patient facing hours.

My name is Grace Hutton and I am currently a senior at G. Ray Bodley High School in Fulton. I aspire to become a physician and currently plan to specialize in pathology either carrying out diagnostics within a hospital or carrying out research into various diseases that affect humanity. All my life I have felt a pull toward the medical field which has increased as I grew and learned more and had personal and professional experiences that fostered this interest. When I was seven years old my little brother, Henry, abruptly passed away from spinal cancer. As a result of this I became interested in pediatric oncology and hoped to cure cancer.By the time I turned nine I became engrossed in documentaries about various rare diseases and disorders, primarily those stemming from genetic disorders. My interest in diseases and disorders morphed into an interest in cellular and genetic research to help diagnose and target disease as early as possible thus rendering my desire to specialize in pathology. This year, I entered into the New Vision Allied Health program which is offered to high school seniors through CITI BOCES. As part of this program I have had the opportunity to gain skills in writing and professionalism, college credits, and experience by shadowing medical professionals. Over the course of the year, I have visited various departments within the Oswego Health System and spent six weeks in the pathology department where I shadowed histotechnologists, the cytologist, and pathologists. While at this site I gained understanding of how samples are collected and prepared for viewing, what the pathologist and cytologist look for when viewing slides under a microscope, and the tissue storage policies and procedures required by the state. This experience broadened my knowledge of the field and supported my desire to enter into the field of pathology. Apart from medicine, I also have an interest in technology. In the future I want to contribute to research and Innovation when it comes to using AI to analyze tissue for the presence of abnormal cellular activity in order to diagnose cancer early, possibly to find abnormalities before cells become cancerous, and use technology to remove or develop other treatments for them. At the very least, I want to contribute to the creation of a culture that benefits from, but does not rely on, technology for patient diagnosis and care. From my current perspective my academic future seems long and intimidating, but I will do all that I can to ensure I learn, make connections, and contribute to innovation within the medical field.