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Recently I had the pleasure and opportunity to meet with one of Mount Wachusett Community College’s most promising and driven students, Djihane Abdelkebir. Djihane moved from Algeria to the U.S. less than two years ago, and has been diligently working towards on an associate’s degree in biology. Although she has only attended the Mount for a short period of time, Djihane has already managed to achieve many exciting accomplishments. Her most recent is giving a presentation on “The Ethics of Nanomedicine” at the Undergraduate Research Conference at UMASS Amherst.
A member of the Mount’s Honors Program, Djihane speaks highly of the program and the opportunities it opened up for her.
“This class, and the Honors Program in general, is a very good opportunity, especially for students who are looking for graduate school. It’s a very good opportunity to enhance skills.” Djihane was one of 1,200 students to present a project at the Annual Honors Conference on April 27th.
When asked about why she chose the topic of nanomedicine, she responded “I’m actually not just interested, I’m amazed by nanotechnology, both in general and specifically for medicine. I wanted to combine my interests in medicine and nanotechnology with the theme of the course, which is philosophy. So I kind of emphasized the project on the ethical issues or questions that nanomedicine raises.” Djihane worked with Professor Dan Soucy, an instructor in philosophy, and Professor Heather Conn, an instructor in biology, to help develop her project and thesis.
Djihane’s presentation at the Honors Conference was her last step toward completing the Honors Program. She was feeling both “excited and nervous” before presenting at the conference but knew it would be a great opportunity and experience.
Following graduation from MWCC, Djihane is planning to attend medical school to pursue a career in the field of nanomedicine. She is currently awaiting responses from 4-year colleges and is looking forward to transferring from the Mount to the next step in her journey. Many of Djihane’s professors and classmates are excited and curious to see where she goes, and what else she accomplishes after graduating from the Mount.
About the Author: Aisha Schor is a Media Communications major at MWCC. She is a contributing writer for the News Center.