For Bullpup senior Finley Hester, becoming a doctor has been a dream for as long as she can remember. Yet, at 17, she never imagined she’d be in a research lab, analyzing a biomarker that could halt the spread of metastatic breast cancer. Hester and senior Simon Yan were part of the first cohort of Ella McKeirnan Memorial Fellows who spent 8 weeks at The University of Notre Dame last summer. Inspired by the late 2017 Prep graduate's legacy of curiosity, resilience, and compassion, the fellowship offered students an immersive college experience and the opportunity to conduct cancer research alongside 18 peers from the South Bend, IN, area.
The experience was eye-opening for Yan, too. “Before this, I didn’t know anyone with a PhD, didn’t know what graduate programs looked like,” he said. “I saw firsthand how many fields—engineering, computer science, biology—all come together to make breakthroughs in cancer research.”
“You get the immersion of college without the classes,” Hester said. The students embraced college life, with full days of lab work and group activities and weekends spent exploring with other members of the group.
In the lab, each student tackled specific projects, working under the guidance of graduate students, postdoctoral fellows, or professors. Yan was assigned to a biomedical engineering lab.
Hester’s assignment focused on therapeutic options for stage-four breast cancer. “The lab I worked in is examining a biomarker no other lab in the country has explored,” she said. “It was surreal—I’m only 17, and I’m part of something this big.” Beyond the science, both Bullpups felt the impact of Ella’s spirit guiding them. “It’s hard to put into words,” Hester said, “but there were moments when I felt her presence.”
Returning to Spokane, both found their experience changed their outlook in the classroom, bringing a new comprehension of scientific concepts.
The experience also deepened their understanding of cancer’s impact, especially for those who face financial and medical disparities. “It hit me that many people, particularly in low-income communities, can’t afford the high-cost diagnostic treatments that could save their lives,” Yan said.
Both Bullpups have personal connections to cancer, with breast cancer touching Hester’s family and bone cancer affecting Yan’s. Their participation in the fellowship has opened doors academically and deepened their resolve to make a difference for others.