Career Connections: Students Talk Self-Advocacy & Efforts To Increase Opportunities For All

Extracurricular academic programs or internships take learning outside of the classroom and can be instrumental for students looking to discover their passions. St. Charles East juniors Kunal Gaind and Rahil Bukhari recently joined the Voices of District 303 podcast to talk about what they’ve learned by getting involved. 

Kunal discussed how rewarding it was to take STEM classes at Johns Hopkins University, while Rahil shared that volunteering to learn more about health care professions through the Northwestern Medicine Discovery Program was a life-changing experience. 

“(I learned a lot that was) science-related: this is how we analyze DNA, this is how we approach patients,” said Rahil. “But I think something more valuable is honestly the rudimentary skills you learn. Just having empathy for other people and learning the value of kindness.” 

Now, the pair is encouraging other D303 students to seek out similar opportunities. Working with East teachers and administrators, they’ve created a spreadsheet that details some of the summer programs in the area, laying out any associated costs and how to apply. 

“Ultimately, at the end of the day, we’re all residents of St. Charles and we all want these amazing opportunities,” said Kunal. “We all care for our futures.” 

The students also talked about the importance of self-advocacy, and discussed ways to take ownership of your own learning.