Genesis Projects

Ali Anway '24 International Law

"I did my Genesis Project at Squire Patton Boggs, an international law firm, and traveled to Paris and London to work on cases regarding social licenses. I got this Genesis through family friends, and I wanted to do my Genesis abroad because I have always been interested in international arbitration, which pertains to contract breaches between large companies and countries. All of the work I did in London and Paris involved this branch of law, and it is less common throughout the United States because most of the countries represented are located in Europe.

I enjoyed learning about the differences between practicing law in the United States and Europe, specifically regarding the education requirements needed to become a lawyer. After this internship, I decided to apply to college as a public policy or pre-law major, depending on what the school offered.”

Lauren Buettner '24 Forestry

"I worked with the National Forest Service at the Apache-Sitgraves National Forest in Arizona. I observed and conducted rare native plant surveys with botanists, ecologists, and biologists for the forest to help determine their endangered status and visited lumber yards to determine if the land was being cleared properly.

What I enjoyed most was walking around the different areas, hiking for miles on end while discussing with everyone what we hoped to find and how they ended up where they are. The people I met helped me understand all the opportunities I can have with botany and also look at a path in just general ecology or conservation, since I'm learning that I really want to make a difference in the world hands-on. I also enjoyed being surrounded by people that had the same interests as me and seeing their love for what they do. This life-changing experience opened my eyes to all the opportunities I would have if I were to explore botany as a major.”

Mary Gibson '24 Advertising

“I completed my Genesis at three Atlanta in Atlanta, Georgia (the t is lowercase to symbolize that the agency comes last). I shadowed my aunt Mandi Gibson, who works in advertising, and I was able to see what goes into producing an advertisement. I saw the very first meetings with Kennesaw State University all the way to the filming of a commercial for JB

Weld. I enjoyed meeting Mandi's coworkers, hearing about their roles, and talking about how the industry is changing as Artificial Intelligence becomes more prominent. I enjoyed going to the pre-production meetings that were held the day before the JB Weld shoot; this is when the producers, director, the clients, and the three teams all come together and go through the shoot day schedule. Another thing I loved was how active the day was and how each hour we were doing something different.

This experience has confirmed that I would like to continue on the path of television production and screenwriting. For college I am looking at schools with highly ranked communications programs. My original goal for my Genesis was to shadow a screenwriter and producer, but when the Writers Guild of America went on strike, I had to adjust my goals— and luckily my aunt was there to save the day.”

Luqing Li '24 Architecture

“I did my Genesis project at TDA, an architectural company that is focused on school design, including architectural design and interior design. My project was to design a nature center located at a park. I enjoyed the process of making the architecture model by myself the most. It is really interesting, even though it is really difficult for a beginner like me. After a while I got used to it, and things became easy.

The experience significantly influenced my college and career plan. I think it is very helpful to get real experience in the field that you are interested in. It is a great chance for us to make a choice and see what we really want. We can also get good advice from people who work in the field, therefore we can get some guidance on choosing where to go for college. It also allows us to have some preliminary plans for our future career.”

Lauren Roof '24 Pediatric Orthopedics

“Shadowing in pediatrics at Cleveland Clinic Children’s had a very large impact on my future. I have always had a love for kids, and making them healthier is definitely in my future. From meeting some of the patients in the clinic setting, to seeing them the next day for surgery, I was given a sense of completion. I enjoyed seeing their injuries be repaired, knowing how much pain they were in before surgery.

“Shadowing in pediatrics at Cleveland Clinic Children’s had a very large impact on my future. I have always had a love for kids, and making them healthier is definitely in my future. From meeting some of the patients in the clinic setting, to seeing them the next day for surgery, I was given a sense of completion. I enjoyed seeing their injuries be repaired, knowing how much pain they were in before surgery.

The various medical professionals also had a huge impact on me for my future career. A physician assistant taught me so much that I probably wouldn’t have learned at this age. I was able to see how much time PAs have to spend with patients compared to doctors. I am planning on going to college next year and majoring in biology on a pre-med track. I am hoping to go to medical school after undergrad to one day go into pediatric orthopedic surgery.”

Summer Solitaria '24 Dermatology

“I did my Genesis Project at MetroHealth Beachwood and Main Campus with Dr. Lisa Gelles. Dr. Gelles is a pediatric dermatologist and the director of pediatric dermatology at MetroHealth. She is also an assistant professor at Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine. She is also my dermatologist! I never realized how busy Dr. Gelles was. She would see four to five patients in one hour. She would make notes on each patient and usually take pictures of their affected areas. I expected there to be a lot of down time, but it was go go go. We would wrap the appointment with one patient and be walking into the next right after.

My favorite part of this whole experience was definitely meeting all the residents and talking to them. They all loved being a dermatologist, which was very good for me to hear. I don’t want to be doing a job that I won’t love doing. I am going to attend Cleveland State University for my undergraduate degree, where I will be pursuing a health sciences degree with a pre-med track. I am also going to play softball at Cleveland State University!”