From the Classroom to Real Life Labs

This past summer, a number of St. Stephen’s rising seniors were able to participate in the Saxena Summer Program which matches students with volunteers from the alumni, current parent and parent of alumni communities through the Spartan Alumni Association and Parents’ Association’s Spartans Engage initiative. Students explore different careers and are given opportunities to gain real world experience. The program is made possible by the Saxena Science and Technology Internship Endowment.

Faculty sponsor Kurt Oehler ’93 explains that these experiences begin with in-depth conversations and can develop into shadow days and extended summer opportunities. Oehler says, “Some may work in a lab for an entire summer, work downtown doing computer science, or work in West Texas for a few weeks.”

Connections and conversations are two of the most crucial aspects of Saxena/Spartan Engage which aims to help students envision future possibilities in their field of interest. 

Rebecca Cole ’25, who loves environmental science and international relations, met with Michael Ybarra ’98 to learn more about his current law practice and his experience at Georgetown’s School of Foreign Service. Cole says Ybarra, who also serves on the St. Stephen’s Board of Trustees, helped her understand how one can be “in the law without having to be in a courtroom.” That interaction helped Cole think about not only her interest in environmental science but also its relationship to policy, law and policy-making.

Marygrace Beinke ’25 is another recent program participant. Inspired by her science classes at St. Stephen’s, Beinke was paired with St. Stephen’s parent Dr. Lauren Ehrlich ’93 who runs the Molecular Biosciences and Oncology Lab at the University of Texas at Austin.  

Beinke explains that when she entered the lab, she instantly felt a sense of belonging. The same Nobel Prize winner James Allison poster that hangs in one of her St. Stephen’s classes was also hanging in the lab. She knew she had found a space where research was dedicated to helping people. Beinke says that spirit of dedication she witnessed from Ehrlich and other lab technicians inspired her interest in biomedical engineering, but she had no idea how much she was about to learn. 

“I am not exaggerating when I say it took me weeks, like I was at week four of my internship before I thought, okay, I kind of get what you're saying,”  Beinke said. “There were so many papers [I thought] my eyes were going to melt.” 

The small community of scientists that Beinke was able to work with embraced her interest and enthusiasm, teaching her valuable and practical information. Those lessons, combined with the knowledge Beinke gained in Biology II, led to real-world application. By the end of her six-week experience, Beinke says she “ultimately loved the lab.” She had conducted experiments, created gels, done two flow cytometry stains, and delivered two presentations to a group of graduate students. Connecting with Dr. Ehrlich and her lab was not an overnight arrangement for Beinke. It was a process that took several conversations with Oehler and with other alums, Dr. Michael Graves ’02 and Dr. Monica Patel ’95 who gave her encouragement and advice about medical school and the medical profession.  

Beinke’s summer experience is only the beginning of what she hopes will be a fruitful journey in the medical field. She also plans to shadow Dr. Leilani Valdes ’91 P '24, a pathologist in Victoria, Texas.  

Students in the 11th grade who are interested in summer opportunities should reach out to Oehler. He can provide guidance in helping connect students’ career interests with the extended St. Stephen’s community.