Four high school students win WCM-Q essay competition

The annual Healing Hands essay competition of Weill Cornell Medicine-Qatar (WCM-Q) has recognized four Qatari high school students for their outstanding 800-word essays on the social consequences of obesity.

The winning students were Almayasa Waleed Alkhal of Qatar Academy High School, Shamma Mubarak Al Nuaimi of the Gulf English School, Fatima Mohammed A.M. Al-Rashid of the American School of Doha, and Amna Khalid Al Hajri of the Swiss International School in Qatar.

The contest, which is run by the Office of Student Outreach and Educational Development at WCM-Q, is open to Qatari students in grades 9, 10 and 11. The program is designed to inspire young nationals to pursue careers in medicine and biomedical science. Many previous winners of the Healing Hands contest have gone on to join WCM-Q as students.  

Each of the four winners received the WCM-Q Doctors of the Future Scholarship, which offers an opportunity to spend a week gaining hands-on research experience in one of the college’s state-of-the-art core laboratories. Two of the winners completed their placements at the Proteomics Lab under the supervision of Prof. Dr. Frank Schmidt, professor of biochemistry and director of the proteomics core at WCM-Q.

An awards ceremony was recently held at WCM-Q, where each of the four winners was presented with a certificate and a prize. A further eight students received honorable mention certificates in recognition of the high quality of their essays, and 13 students received participation certificates.

The essays of the four winners and those who received honorable mentions were noted for the originality of their ideas, their command of written English, the soundness of their supporting arguments, and the coherent structure of their essays. The judges also acknowledged the high level of the participants’ essays, noting the generally high standard of all of the entries this year.

Reflecting on her experience in the Proteomics Lab, winning high school student Al Nuaimi said: “I expected science to be like working out a puzzle, with a final solution at the end. But it’s more like building blocks. It’s really precise, and it highlights how very small things can lead to one big final solution or discovery. I don’t have a lot of experience with biology, but this experience was so enlightening. Honestly, right now I’m rethinking my whole career choice because it was so fun, and I’m filled with gratitude. No words can describe it. I learned so much, not just about science, but about how to work with others as well.”

These sentiments were echoed by her fellow winning student, Alkhal, who said: “My experience was definitely new and interesting. It consisted of five days, from Sunday through Thursday, where we came in every day for two hours and got to experience different simulations and all sorts of things over those five days. I didn’t expect it to be the way it was. I had never done it before, and I definitely enjoyed it.”

Noha Saleh, director of premedical administration, student outreach and educational development, said: “I would like to congratulate all this year’s participants for their interest in science and their commitment to being part of this exceptional program. We are confident that this experience will inspire these students to consider a future in medicine. I was particularly thrilled to hear from Almayasa and Shamma, speaking at the awards event about their research lab experience. This will surely encourage the rest of the winners who are about to engage in this wonderful opportunity very soon. ”

Dr. Rachid Bendriss, professor of English as a second language, assistant professor of education in medicine, and associate dean for foundation, student outreach and educational development programs, said: “We were extremely impressed by this year’s essays, which included such a sophisticated level of innovative and thought-provoking arguments and ideas. We were also very proud of the sheer volume of enthusiasm, curiosity, and commitment our winning students demonstrated during their practical experience in the lab. I am especially grateful to the faculty and staff who served on the judging committee, and to Dr. Schmidt for his invaluable mentorship of the students in his lab. We look forward to welcoming many of these exceptional students to WCM-Q as applicants in the not-too-distant future.”