Past participant testimonials
Learn more about the experiences of past participants below.
2025 interns
Kassidy Jungles, PhD, PhD Candidate, University of Michigan
Current position: Medical Writer at Precision AQ, Medical Affairs and Scientific Communication
“Participating in the WLSI internship was an incredibly meaningful and transformative experience. Through this internship, I worked on real-world medical writing projects in the realm of clinical research, academic grant writing, and scientific manuscript/abstract writing. Being a WLSI scholar introduced me to experts in the field of medical communication at VCU Massey and helped me gain crucial experiences to advance my career goals in medical writing. I am so thankful for this opportunity and for the wonderful people I met along the way.”
Emily Kukan, PhD Candidate, Case Western Reserve University
Current position: PhD Candidate
“The WLSI is a truly invaluable opportunity for anyone planning to pursue a career in scientific or medical writing. I am much more knowledgeable about all aspects of scientific communication and feel extremely prepared and capable as a result of this internship. I am certain that the skills, hands-on experience, and connections I gained through the WLSI will be critical as I look ahead to my career. The WLSI was easily the best thing I have done for my career development, as well as the most helpful six weeks of my education thus far, and I cannot recommend the program enough!”
Kathy Nowak, PhD Candidate, University of Virginia
Current position: Volunteer, Science Writer, Pet Cancer Foundation
“The Walter Lawrence Scholars Initiative was an invaluable experience that allowed me to explore career paths in scientific writing and communication. Through hands-on involvement in manuscript editing, grant preparation, and clinical protocol drafting, I developed practical skills and reaffirmed my goal of pursuing a career in scientific writing.”
2024 interns
Jessica Desamaro, PhD, Adjunct Assistant Professor, York College
Current position: Science Blogger, Jess Translating Science
"With this internship, I learned a lot about three types of scientific writing. WLSI reaffirmed my professional interests and helped me see what values are most important to me in a future career. Plus, I met great people throughout the internship, and every interaction was meaningful!"
Shaniqua Hayes, PhD, Postdoctoral Researcher, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center
Current position: Research Associate, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center Radiopharmaceuticals for Ovarian Cancer Medical & Scientific Communications
“I went into this internship fairly confident that I wanted to pursue a career in scientific writing, but I wasn’t 100% sure what it was like. This internship was a crash course in many different areas of scientific writing. I learned so much about myself and scientific writing through WLSI, and I now know for certain that this is what I want to pursue.”
2022 interns
Ben B., 2nd year medical student at VCU
"This internship was a great taste of scientific writing and a way to merge my interest in medicine and improve my writing skills. I learned so much through the WLSI, now I want to learn more."
Phoebe D., M.D., 2nd year Postdoctoral Fellow at VCU Wright Center
“As a budding physician scientist I realized writing is essential but it can be difficult to communicate scientific findings. I’ve always been interested in research, but through the WLSI, I’ve become a better communicator across all platforms.”
Questions? Contact us at mcccrtec@vcu.edu.