Keza L. (IN A NUTSHELL)

Keza is a senior at Harvard College concentrating in Human Developmental and Regenerative Biology with a secondary in Global Health and Health Policy. She grew up in Maryland where she attended a signature school for fine arts and humanities. In her high school years she played competitive travel softball and took over 15 AP classes. It was also then that her long standing interest in STEM emerged.

Keza is pre-med; she is passionate about health equity and the advancement of novel therapeutics, particularly those which utilize stem cells. She has spent several years conducting research on hematological malignancies at Massachusetts General Hospital but also loves clinical work. During the academic year of 2020-2021, Keza took a gap year to work full time in the Emergency Department at Boston Children’s Hospital, the foremost pediatric hospital in the country. During this time, Keza worked with hundreds of pediatric patients and has since been eager to continue working with young individuals. Now, Keza conducts clinical research in pediatric orthopedics at the Hospital for Special Surgery.

In her free time Keza loves hiking, painting, and doing yoga with her roommates. She also loves music and knows nearly every Taylor Swift song by heart. Every week she volunteers at a senior center, some days she does art with the seniors and other days she helps them with physical therapy. Keza forever remembers and appreciates the teachers and peers in her life who assisted her on her journey to Harvard and who continue to assist her as she begins the medical school application process. It is deeply important to her that she too is able to serve as a support system for others as they navigate their interests and invest in their own education.