Here’s a quick look into some of the interesting things Menlo students did over the summer. Photo courtesy Christina Ekstrand.

Amanda Crisci | Co-Spread Editor
 

During the summer many Menlo School students participate in enriching programs and internships that often go unnoticed by the community. Students participate in a wide variety of programs, exploring everything from politics to neuroscience. This week The Coat of Arms will be exploring some of these summer programs students have done this past summer, by posting an article everyday this week detailing the unique experiences of some of Menlo’s students.

This first summer profile is of junior Christina Ekstrand and her experience shadowing neurosurgeon Dr. Sandeep Kunwar at Washington Hospital in Fremont. Through the Connections Beyond the Classroom database, which allows Menlo students to apply for internships in fields of their interests, Ekstrand shadowed Kunwar from 7am to 4pm a couple days a week. Although she was not allowed to help with any medical procedures as she is not a trained medical professional, she thinks the experience was very interesting and unique.

Coat of Arms: When did you realize you were seriously interested in medicine?

Christina Ekstrand: My dad is a clinical oncologist so I’ve always heard about medicine from him and I’ve always been interested in the human body and surgery.

COA: What is one cool experience you had in the hospital?

CE: One woman could not move the right half of her face because the facial nerves that are connected back to the brain were being pressed against by blood vessels, causing extreme pain. She couldn’t eat or talk and she lost 16 pounds in two weeks from not eating. By separating the nerves from the vessels through an incision behind her ear she could resume full function and use of her face without pain.

COA: What are some important skills you learned or improved?

CE: I learned how to talk to patients and general bedside manner, apply general anesthesia and maintain its strength throughout a surgery, and what causes a lot of the neurological pain that requires surgery.

COA: What were some major takeaways from your experience?

CE: There’s a lot of technology used in the practice and it really helps to be familiar with computers and the software used. Surgeons also develop a good deal of the tools they use during the surgeries and it was really interesting getting to see those unique aspects. My biggest takeaway though is that there’s a lot more to medicine than just understanding anatomy. Being a doctor requires knowledge and passion.

Ekstrand hopes to study medicine in college, specifically in the field of surgery, and she hopes to use her passion to help others in need. “I think practicing medicine is one of the most important jobs you can do since you are improving the quality of life of another person,” Ekstrand said.

Check back on the Coat of Arms website tomorrow to see a summer profile of another Menlo student!