Greetings Phillips Scholars and Alumni, 
We hope you are all enjoying summer and staying well. This bulletin highlights several Phillips Scholars and their diverse summer activities. Their work inspires us! You can see from their testimonials that they are finding these experiences to be eye-opening and rewarding. As always, if you have an update to share with us, please email Amy at [email protected]. You can also submit an update through our Alumni Page or join our LinkedIn group to stay connected.  
News from the Phillips Scholar Community
Lindsay Dieudonne is a rising senior at Suffolk University majoring in Political Science with a concentration in Law and Public Policy and minoring in Black Studies. This summer she is working at Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection as a Diversity and Civil Rights intern. She writes, “I wanted to intern at MassDEP because I recognize the importance of environmental justice and want to be part of a team of people who truly want to make a difference. This summer I am focusing on a number of projects, with the main one being recruitment. It is important for high schoolers and other college students to know about MassDEP in hopes of having more individuals who care about environmental justice on board.” 
Kaitlyn Kaczor is a rising senior at Central Connecticut State University, majoring in Mechanical Engineering Technology. This is her second summer interning at General Dynamics Electric Boat, where she supports the design development, analysis, and construction of submarine parts and materials. Kaitlyn’s job involves troubleshooting and resolving technical problems that arise during construction by communicating with the shipyard, writing engineering reports, and presenting PowerPoints, among other activities. Outside of work, Kaitlyn serves as assistant softball coach for an 18U league with the Branford Recreation Department. The players range from 14 to 18 years of age, and she supports their development of skills, tactics, and techniques. She writes, “I thrive to be a resourceful leader and see these girls achieve their goal of being ambitious.”   
Carmen-Isabel Belizaire is a rising sophomore at the Massachusetts College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences, majoring in Premedical Health Sciences in the Physician Assistant pathway. This summer, she took the opportunity to be a student intern for the PACE (Physician Assistant Continuing Education) in the Department of Medicine at Brigham and Women’s Hospital. PACE is a team of Physician Assistants in General Medicine who treat admitted patients. As a student intern, Carmen is responsible for completing progress notes for each patient that they see during morning rounds and sharing them with the Attending and PAs for rounds in the afternoon. She is also an interviewer for a new program called My Life, My Story. The program aims to give medical providers the opportunity to understand who their patients are and what makes them who they are today. They do this by interviewing patients about the most defining events in their life. Then the interns write a short narrative for the patients’ chart based on what the patients chose to share in the interview. Carmen writes, “I chose to be an intern at Brigham and Women’s Hospital to gain more knowledge about medicine and learn more about what it means to be a PA. This internship has helped me visualize myself as a Physician Assistant. I will collaborate with a medical team to provide adequate quality care for each patient and advocate for their care.”  
Patrick Tardie, a rising sophomore at Marine Maritime Academy, is majoring in Marine Biology and Coastal Marine and Environmental Science. He spent the last two months working on a boat called the Arctic Schooner Bowdoin, which included sanding and painting the whole boat and attaching all of the sails before setting off to sea. They then sailed along the coast of Maine and visited various coastal towns, including Boothbay, Rockland, and Portland. Patrick chose this course to learn about boating, while also obtaining the first 60 sea days needed for his boating license. He writes, "this course had also helped me decide that vessel operations is an activity that I'd rather do as a hobby than a career. Spending these two months working with boats has shown me that I'm not as much of a 'boat guy' as I had thought I might be, so I have decided that I will focus all of my studies on the sciences. Regardless, I highly enjoyed my time aboard the Bowdoin and gained many skills that I will never forget. I highly recommend a boating experience to anyone who has even the slightest interest!” 
Elvianna de Jesus is a rising senior at Boston University pursuing a Bachelor’s and Master’s degree in political science. This summer, she participated in BU’s Summer Pre-Law Academy (BUSPLA) hosted through the Law School Admission Council’s PLUS Program. Among other things, the program strives to expose underrepresented students to law school and the legal field. During BUSPLA, Elvianna read cases, learned to draft a legal demand letter, counseled clients, and prepared and practiced a legal appeal. (See photo from the day she presented her legal appeal). She also gained familiarity with Critical Race Theory, court systems, and the Socratic method of teaching. She writes, “additionally, I participated in a moot court alongside 28 talented students from across the nation and engaged with various academics and activists of color. Thanks to BUSPLA and the LSAC, I have developed a renewed interest in the legal profession, and I am more excited than ever to use my law degree in the service of others.”