Samantha Hirschman | Assistant News Co-Editor

Junior biology major Mikaela Millslagle was recently offered a research fellowship with Des Moines University (DMU).
The internship will be her second internship; during January 2015, she spent her time in Kathmandu, Nepal. While in Nepal, she spent time job-shadowing and learning different medicine practices and how they compare to the United States.

“Other than research at school, these two experiences are really the major ones I’ve had the opportunity to partake in,” Millslagle said.

Millslagle’s favorite part about this process is finding living arrangements. She explained that this will be her first time away from home.

Other than finding apartments, the most exciting part for Millslagle is the research experience. She will be working alongside Dr. Andrew Brittingham, a Des Moines University professor, doing research over the parasitic diseases that occur in humans.

“I will gain real-life experience in medical research while also becoming more acquainted with DMU,” Millslagle said.

Millslagle heard about this internship through DMU. She explains that she has had a strong interest in their graduate programs, so she finds herself of their website often. This year, she had also applied for a program through the CDC and the University of Minnesota.

Millslagle will be taking the MCAT this summer and applying to a wide variety of medical schools, including DMU. She also has an interest in medical research; this summer could help her decide whether to go into research or to medical school.

“I am extremely excited about this opportunity and am counting down the days until I finally get to begin! After graduation next year, I will hopefully be starting my journey through medical school. That’s been the goal for about eight years now, and I haven’t lost sight of that yet,” Millslagle said.

Photo courtesy of Mikaela Millslagle