Incoming Palmetto High School senior Natalia Fernandez is spending six weeks at New York University at an all girl’s STEM program doing DNA research.
“I applied and was one of 40 girls chosen,” she says. “I love biology and chemistry; the program allows me to explore both.”
She’s happy to have the opportunity to conduct research in a professional college setting with a well-known expert in nanotechnology.
She’s already taken Advanced Placement biology and chemistry. In college she hopes to major in biochemistry on a pre-med track, so she can eventually pursue pediatric neurology.
Why does she want to study children’s brains?
“In seventh grade, I had to go to the hospital for six days,” she says. “I lost my eyesight and hearing temporarily. The doctors said it was a cerebral seizure.”
Fernandez says she doesn’t even remember the trip to the hospital. She does, however, remember how awesome the neurologist was.
“At a young age, seeing a woman as a powerful doctor was very transitional,” she says. “I hope to be able to help children with neurological trauma and limit them from experiencing what I did.”
Today, she volunteers at Baptist Hospital in the pediatric unit as a nurse’s assistant.
“I’ve been in the program since 2016,” she says. “I aid the nurses in caring for the patients. We usually bring them toys; we have a video game cart that they love as well.”
She works with children throughout the building. She also works with kids in the surgical recovery area.
“Usually we’ll provide them water or blankets,” she says.
Spending time at the hospital has reinforced her wish to go into medicine.
Fernandez also volunteers at Bet Shira as a Madrichim, or teacher’s assistant.
“I help teach kids Hebrew,” she says. “I’ve been there since my sophomore year. It’s been great because I’ve been able to connect with my community.”
Fernandez was an ambassador for Big Brothers Big Sisters for her Bat Mitzvah project. Although she was too young to become a mentor herself, she was persuasive enough that she was able to recruit adults to become mentors.
“My uncle was a mentor. He was assigned a ‘little brother’ that could talk with him whenever they needed,” she says. “Usually it’s small kids or kids in middle school.”
This summer, she’s spending time in New York City for a STEM program, in previous years she’s been to a performing arts camp called French Woods for musical theater. Fernandez is a drama student at Palmetto and has been in many of the theater productions including Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, Into the Woods, and the Drowsy Chaperone.
She has also participated in the district and state competitions every year, winning awards at the Critic’s Choice and Superior levels.
“Theater is one of my favorite parts of high school,” she says. “Performing allows me to step into a whole new world.”
At Palmetto, she’s secretary of Thespians, Recruitment Chair of Student Council, a member of the National Honor Society, Mu Alpha Theta, English Honor Society and the Science National Honor Society.
She’s won the Outstanding Freshman Actress Award, the Outstanding Sophomore Language Arts Award and the Core Values Award.
Linda Rodriguez Bernfeld
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