Lucy Lu ’01, a biochemistry major at Bates, spent the past two summers at the Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center in New York City, one of the nation’s top cancer hospitals.

While Lu found it fulfilling to be involved in research that could cure cancer, it was making rounds with doctors and interacting with patients — some terminally ill — that made the bigger impact on what she hopes to accomplish in life. "I want to work more with people," Lu said. "I want to bring together my lab work with clinic work to be able to treat cancer in the best possible way."

Lu says a recent trip to China as part of a Bates semester abroad program solidified her conviction to help people, and she returned determined not to take her opportunities for granted. A native of China, Lu moved with her family to South Orange, N.J., when she was 13.

During her work at Sloan Kettering, Lu remembers translating for a Chinese-speaking couple, the husband facing terminal cancer, and realizing how important the interpersonal side of medicine can be. Since graduation, Lu has been conducting research in the Department of Microbiology and Immunology at the Weill Medical College of Cornell University, and although medical school is an option for her, she says that she feels drawn to work in international public health.

Lu credits her internship experiences with helping her to define her career path. "Internships are a great way for students to connect with the real world."