Holly Cooper, Interplast Intern Extraordinaire
When she’s not busy working one of her two jobs---completing her medical school application and volunteering at Lucile Packard Children’s Hospital---Holly Cooper, Los Altos, California, spends her time (about 12 hours a week) interning with Interplast!
Holly recently received her master’s degree in biology from Stanford University. She told us that she has wanted to be a doctor for as long as she can remember, and hopes to begin medical school in August 2011.
After nearly fainting on her first day working at an out-patient surgical facility, Holly started to doubt if it was really the right profession for her. At that time, she took a brief detour into animal care, retail and research, but she returned to her original choice of medicine. “Soon I realized that the aspects of those jobs that I liked, the sense of accomplishment of working with my own hands, the joy of meeting and helping new people every day, and the constant quest for discovery and answers, all intersect in medicine,” Holly recalls.
Her compassionate nature and commitment to improving the world around her are the driving forces behind the time she spends volunteering. In the past, Holly has volunteered at the Palo Alto Junior Museum & Zoo and completed internships in dolphin acoustics at Southwest Fisheries Science Center and in animal care at the Monterey Bay Aquarium, Oakland Zoo, and US Navy Marine Mammal Program.
As Holly reflects on her decision to apply to medical school she shares, “I would like to feel as though I am bettering humanity and making an impact during my lifetime.”
Today, we feel privileged to have her as part of our summer internship program. In the time Holly has spent with us, she has contributed greatly to the staff, our programs and most importantly to Interplast’s mission. We’d like to give a big thank you to Holly and to all our summer interns for helping, energizing and inspiring us.