Ten students from the Northeast Valley graduated July 27 from the 17th class of Helios Scholars at TGen, the flagship internship program at the Translational Genomics Research Institute, part of City of Hope.

Designed for incoming and continuing undergraduate, graduate and medical school students, Helios Scholars at TGen offers a one-of-a-kind summer experience in biomedical research under the guidance of an experienced TGen mentor, according to a press release. The eight-week program supports students from all backgrounds in their efforts to develop foundational skills by placing them alongside faculty and staff where they actively participate on a breadth of research and administrative projects.

Helios Scholars interns from Scottsdale included:

• Julienne DeSanto (University of San Diego)
• Nolan Lopez (Santa Clara University)
• Ryan O’Hanrahan (University of Southern California)
• Shankar Chakkera (BASIS Phoenix)
• Gillian Cunningham (Northern Arizona University)
• Summer Stuckey (University of Georgia)
• Jillian Murray (Arizona State University)
• Shashvath Venkatesh (Chaparral High School)

From Paradise Valley:

• Anika Patel (University of Texas at Austin)

From Cave Creek:

• Sadhana Pandari (ASU).

Helios Scholars also participate in professional development programs in science communication, public speaking and business etiquette, the release stated. A day-long scientific symposium on July 27 capped off the summer, allowing students to celebrate their achievements as well as compete for awards recognizing their project mastery and presentation skills.

Helios Scholars at TGen is a partnership between TGen and the Helios Education Foundation. Online applications open Dec. 12 for the summer 2024 program. For more information, visit tgen.org/interns.