Sophia Neaman, COL ’26, Hazleton, PA
This summer I had the opportunity to stay in Philadelphia and work under several different individuals through the Children’s Hospital of Pennsylvania, Penn Medicine, and the University of Pennsylvania.
I began my summer in a new position as the program assistant for the Office of Academic Training and Outreach Programs (ATOP) through the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia. In this position, I worked to help facilitate their Advancing Representation in Research Administration (ARRA) Internship Program which employs five undergraduate students from underrepresented communities interested in research administration. The students were each placed into a research administration office where they created a personal project to address each of the office’s weaknesses, and an individual development plan. My role was to facilitate weekly professional development training and seamless communication between the students and their mentors. This position introduced me to the administrative sector of healthcare and provided me with leadership skills that are transferable to my future roles. Ultimately, I gained a new community and deeper understanding of the inner workings of research administration.
Secondly, I continued my employment as a research assistant for the Penn Innovation in Suicide Prevention for Implementation Research (INSPIRE) Center. In my role, I coded electronic medical record data in RedCap for patients who presented to one of seven Penn Medicine emergency rooms for either suicidal ideation or a suicide attempt. The project focuses on implementing safety planning intervention and a follow-up telehealth service model for suicidal individuals. My work tests the effectiveness of these implementations over a six-month period in which the patient’s emergency department, inpatient, and outpatient visits are tracked along with the persistence of their suicidal ideation. Suicide prevention research is a passion of mine because of the personal relation – losing my brother to suicide. During this time, it quickly became apparent that there was a lack of resources available for families suffering from a loss and more important, those struggling with suicidal ideation. The INSPIRE Center’s work is incredibly admirable and something I had dreamed of pursuing for as long as I can remember. I am so thankful to have been given the opportunity to be part of this project.
Lastly, I transitioned into a leadership role within the University of Pennsylvania’s student center, Houston Hall. I have worked as a building ambassador at the welcome desk of Houston for two years and was given the opportunity to become the student manager overseeing the welcome desk roles. Through this opportunity, I have had the privilege to be part of several professional development trainings and learn organizational skills to lead a cohort of student workers. A large population of my team was away during the summer, some even abroad, which posed challenges in communication across different settings and time zones. However, the challenges came with an even greater reward as I effectively learned to be flexible and ever-adapting to the modern day workforce. Most importantly, this role has given me the valuable experience of creating professional boundaries with my peers.
I am immensely grateful for the learning experiences I have been able to participate in this summer as I can now apply them to my future endeavors.
This is part of a series of posts by recipients of the 2025 Career Services Summer Funding Grant. We’ve asked funding recipients to reflect on their summer experiences and talk about the industries in which they spent their summer. You can read the entire series here
