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For summer research students at the University of Illinois Cancer Center, the annual Community Day offered more than a break from the lab; it provided an opportunity to connect scientific learning with patient experiences, mentorship, and career aspirations.

Hosted by the Cancer Center Office of Cancer Research Training and Education Coordination (CRTEC), on July 1, the day brought together summer students for a day of discussion, reflection and engagement. The activities included a Journal Club meeting, something the high school and undergraduate students in the U-CREATE, CHESS, and ResearchStart programs have done throughout the summer. In Journal Club, groups of students evaluate a cancer-related article published in a peer-reviewed journal and then present their observations to peers, providing an opportunity to discuss current cancer research.

Community Day also gave students a chance to gain insight into the human side of cancer care. The students were introduced to a group of breast cancer survivors, collectively known as “The Butterflies,” during a panel discussion with the Tatisa C. Joiner Foundation. Each student received a signed copy of the book, The Breast is Yet to Come: The Ultimate Testimony, which features the Butterflies and shares their journey with cancer. The survivors read excerpts from their chapters, offered testimonies about the challenges of living with cancer and barriers they faced within the healthcare system. In an engaging conversation, they also provided valuable insight to the students about the importance of cultural competency, empathy and quality care.

Later in the day, the high school and undergraduate students learned about the journey to medical school from four medical students, Andrea McDowell, Angel Agymang Premph, Justin Chae and Teonna Piphus, who are participating in the Robert A. Winn Excellence in Clinical Trials: Clinical Investigator Pathway Program (Winn CIPP) at the Cancer Center. The younger students asked questions about managing finances, navigating gap years and staying focused. The medical students also advised them on writing personal statements and asking for strong letters of recommendation.

“Community Day was a grounding moment for me. The pathway in medicine is so long that we're always so focused on the next step. Meeting high school and college students who were asking fundamental questions about the path ahead was my way of paying it back, and it was a genuinely happy day for me,” said Winn CIPP participant Angel Prempeh, a third-year medical student at Michigan State University College of Human Medicine.

The students ended the day outdoors, touring the Cancer Center's giant inflatable colon "CECIL," winning prizes by spinning a wheel and answering cancer-related questions from the Cancer Center’s Community Engagement and Health Equity Office (CEHE), and playing soccer.