A research paper written by Maria G. ’25 has recently been published in the National High School Journal of Science (NHSJS). The paper, titled “Informing Effective and Economically Efficient Health Care Policies Through Prevention of Chronic Diseases and Lowering Hospital Administration Costs: An Interview Study," was the product of over a year’s worth of research and work by the senior, who is an international boarding student at Pennington.

As a participant in the Applied Science Certificate Program at Pennington, Maria first learned of several independent summer research opportunities through Program Director Sue Wirsig, who is in charge of the School’s popular STEM-oriented program. Once connected with the Lumiere Education research program, Maria was able to begin exploring her topic; Lumiere’s Research Scholar Program enables students to work one on one with a researcher from a top university to produce an independent research project. Pennington Teacher of English Rachel Burke, who serves as Maria’s faculty advisor, describes her as a mature, ambitious, and talented student! “I am so proud of her!,” says Burke.

“The topic of public health in Mexico deeply inspires me,” said Maria, who calls Mexico City her home. “Initially what drew me into the project was getting a better understanding of healthcare access in my home country.” In the course of her research, Maria learned about the many inequities which exist within that nation, which in turn inspired her to research possible solutions to these issues. “I got to visit both public and private hospitals from all around Mexico City, getting the full picture of the experience of Mexicans regarding healthcare access,” explained Maria, who is excited to contribute to a more effective and accessible healthcare system in the future.

According to their website, the NHSJS is a “free, online, student-run and peer-reviewed research journal that is targeted towards high school students” anywhere in the world. Though student-run, all submissions are reviewed by a scientist advisory board of professional researchers as well as peer reviewers. In addition to their primary goals—bring science to a wider audience, engage students beyond the classroom, and expose young people to new concepts and ideas—the NHSJS provides valuable, in depth feedback to help build upon and improve the students’ research writing in the future.