Cathedral High School
SCHOOL NEWS
The Fordham University STEP Program is one of 59 programs throughout the state of New York with the mission of increasing the number of underrepresented minorities and/or economically disadvantaged students pursuing collegiate studies and professional careers in STEM, health-related fields, and New York State’s licensed professions (e.g., law, accounting, psychology, social work, to name a few). This past summer, Fordham STEP offered a comprehensive research program to provide its scholars interested in STEM Careers with a six-week experience in a university science Laboratory along with college prep classes to prepare the cohort for this fall’s application cycle.
STEP provided students with options of Lab settings to serve as a research assistant throughout the summer including biology, physics, chemistry, and psychology. The STEP Research Program provided this cohort with a unique experience assisting Fordham Professors and graduate students with their research projects before entering college. Students also toured and met administrators and scientists from Fordham’s Biological Field Station in Armonk, NY, the Louis Calder Center, and enjoyed lunch discussions with university professors. Condoleezza Smith, a current senior and STEP Scholar was nominated by STEP Assistant Director Joel De Andrade and Counselor Evonny Escoto for this highly selective program, where she was placed in the Biology lab under the supervision of the Biological Sciences Department Chair, Patricio I. Meneses, Ph.D., assisting Fordham graduate student Alyssa Biondo with research to understand the role of filopodia in HPV 16’S internalization process. During her time in the lab, Condoleezza was placed into an environment in which she was able to indulge in her love of science and acquire fundamental lab techniques necessary for research. Condoleezza learned to pipette, perform a western blot, produce pseudovirions, split, lyse and transfect cells and much more.
Additionally, she was able to treat her cells with several different drug treatments in order to record data for her poster that she would later present in an end-of-summer research symposium where her peers and graduate students presented their summer research findings. In addition to gaining experience working in a laboratory, the STEP program enabled Condoleezza to begin her college application. With the support of her search mentor, Ariana Ram FCRH Class of 2018, she was able to formulate a list of colleges that she will apply to, completed her personal statement and finalized her resume
during the college prep seminar. Along with seven other driven STEP scholars, Condoleezza benefited in several ways from the experience, from receiving guidance with her research project and college application to engaging and empowering conversations regarding student experience in college pursuing a STEM major as a person of color.
Condoleezza has a passion for science, and being in STEP’s research program deepened her love for the field, and clarified her career path. It has shown her that she wants to pursue research in the future, and become the first scientist in her family. She appreciates the environment that she was placed in and have the opportunity to work with peers who were welcoming and willing to assist in her learning process, even if it meant staying a few hours late. She built relations with other students who were equally motivated, and who helped each other advance. After her experience this summer, Condoleezza is very grateful to Dr. Patricio Meneses for allowing her to work in his lab, and his participating in coordinating such an extraordinary program. In addition, she is very thankful for her research mentor, Ariana Ram, for empowering and motivating her to push hard in her research in order to diversify the amazing field of science. She is also appreciative for STEP Director Mr. Michael Molina and Associate Director Mr. Renaldo Alba for coordinating the Fordham STEP program which enabled her to enrich her high academic achievements. She and other students from Cathedral High School were able to benefit from the partnership with Fordham STEP in many ways.
