Genesis Projects

Allegra Carcioppolo ’25 CRIMINAL JUSTICE

“I completed my Genesis at the Rocky River Police Department. I shadowed Officer Tracey Hill, who took the time to show me everything I specifically wanted to see. This included time in the patrol car, a tour of the FBI Office, a firsthand look into the Detective Bureau and Forensics, and even a tour on the Rocky River Police Boat. During my visit to the FBI Office, I had the opportunity to speak with different Special Agents who explained their roles and the qualifications required to pursue their career paths. I also received a personalized tour of the building. As part of my Genesis experience, I also got to spend an entire day with a Cuyahoga County Prosecutor who specialized in the Special Victims Unit. He introduced me to members of his team working on a cold case, as well as took me on a tour of the Medical Examiner’s Office and the BCI Labs. The highlight of my experience, however, was visiting the United States Secret Service Field Office.

This experience has influenced my college plans because I now want to be a criminal justice major. After college, I hope to either become a defense attorney or a part of the United States Secret Service. I am very grateful to my mentor, Tracey Hill, for giving me a great experience and allowing me to see the many different sectors of the criminal justice department during my time spent with him.”

Adella Trzybinski ’25 EDUCATION

“I completed my Genesis project at Clarance Middle School. I shadowed a 7th and 8th grade ELA teacher, Jennie Rook, who has been teaching for over 34 years. We worked together for about a week, and I observed different teaching methods and schooling styles. I enjoyed getting to know the kids the most. I wasn’t able to teach them anything, but I was able to be another eye on a piece of work and have fun conversations with them. By the end of the week, a student said to me, ‘Bye, Miss T, have a nice weekend, and I hope you become a teacher.’ This was something that touched my heart and showed me that I would be able to help people in different ways that I didn’t even realize.

I did this mentorship because I wanted to see if teaching is something I want to do, which showed me that I could do it and that I would enjoy waking up every day to do it. I am committed to swimming at Baldwin Wallace University. I plan to major in adolescent/young adult education with a minor in English, and I am on the track to be a middle school English teacher. For all of the underclassmen, if you don’t know what you want to do someday, go and shadow in a field you think you may like because you never know. This might show you that this is something you want to do, or it can show you that you don’t like the idea of doing something for the rest of your life.”

Brooke Farrell ’25

METEOROLOGY

“I completed my Genesis project at Penn State University from June 23-28, 2024. My mentor was William Syrett, who is a current professor in the Meteorology and Atmospheric Science program within the College of Earth and Mineral Sciences at Penn State.

I attended a meteorology and atmospheric science immersion program, where I learned about a multitude of weather events such as tornadoes, hurricanes, thunderstorms, and even weather on Mars. I had the opportunity to attend lectures and participate in discussions with current professors who have studied and worked in the weather field as well. I got the opportunity to tour the AccuWeather and National Weather Service locations in State College, Pennsylvania, to learn about potential job opportunities in the weather forecasting arena. Overall, I received a lot of information on possible career paths in the field of meteorology and atmospheric sciences.

There were two aspects of this program that I really appreciated. One was the connections I was able to make to current Penn State students and professors. I was able to ask them so many questions not only about their fields, but also about what studying the major has to offer. The other aspect that really stood out to me was my discussion with Dr. Richard Alley, who was a co-recipient of the Nobel Peace Prize in 2007. His words on climate change really inspired me to want to continue on my path to study weather and climate. He told me, ‘Due to our ever-changing planet, the world is going to need people like you to study the weather so that everyone in the world is aware of what is happening around us.’”

Mary Garcia ’25 and Gabby Garcia ’25 ANESTHESIOLOGY

We did our Genesis projects at Mercy Regional Center and Hospital.

Mary: “I shadowed a certified registered nurse anesthetist in the operating room. I got the opportunity to scrub in and watch her register different medications to the patient before and during surgery. She monitored the patient’s heart beat, blood pressure, and oxygen levels. What I enjoyed most about my experience was learning what a day typically looks like for a CRNA working in a hospital. I liked being a part of surgery and seeing how efficiently everyone works. This experience has influenced my career plans to possibly consider this as a job in my future.”

Gabby: “I scrubbed in to watch different surgeries like general, thoracic, and ear, nose, and throat as I shadowed a certified registered nurse anesthetist. Her role was to keep patients asleep during surgery and monitor their vitals.

One interesting part of my Genesis project was having the opportunity to cut open a human gallbladder (once removed after surgery) and view the stones inside. Another highlight was seeing a robotic surgery, where the surgeon operated a machine to perform a stitch in an abdominal tear. This experience influenced me to want to have a more active role in surgery. I was also able to meet a physician’s assistant and talk to her about her profession as well. She talked about both working in the OR and assisting the surgeon as well as in an office setting. She specializes in dermatology and could still perform minor surgical removals of cancer spots in the office.”