Participation in science fair can set a course for one’s life work – Raheen Bush – Stephens College graduate school Class of ’19
Raheen Bush’s story is a fine example of growth and development driven in no small part by the early science fair experience of participants. Raheen said recently that one of the most satisfying events of his life was competing at the International Science Fair following his selection as a finalist at his school fair and at the regional and the state science fairs in 2007.
He has always wanted to help others. He recognized early on that science offered him an outlet for this yearning. His passion for science was largely inspired by his science fair participation and the “hands-on” application of sound science it offered. By excelling at the science fairs he also learned that he was accomplished at science.
Raheen also has a direct and very personal connection to the Quality Life Center (an outreach partner of the Edison Fairs). As a young child he attended the Center and it had a lasting impact on his later development as a student of science. It was at the Center where he learned such character development skills as self control and self discipline, the necessity of respecting others and learning to focus his attention on the matter at hand. All of those attributes helped Raheen be comfortable with the hard work and rigorous integrity that a career in science requires. He is now enjoying the many benefits of his Quality Life Center training.
Since 2007 he has graduated from the University of Vermont with a Bachelor of Science degree in Nutrition and Food Science, where he was also a Division One track athlete. Raheen worked part-time throughout high school and college to help pay his way.
His desire to serve others led him to accept a tutoring program management position upon graduation from college. After a few years of success in that capacity, the call of a career in science led him to gain his Emergency Medical Technician certification and a position in a mental health hospital as a technician.
As rewarding as his management job was and although his experience in mental health was challenging, he realized that his real aspiration was to advance to becoming a Physician Assistant. He has recently been accepted to a graduate program at a prestigious university where he will begin his studies in the fall of 2017.
Raheen attributes much of his steady progress to his love of science that began with his science fair experience. He has found that the exposure to STEM as a student is allowing him to fulfill his desire to help others in a profound way. He has already touched the lives of many and his prospects for reaching others through medicine serve as an inspiration and confirms the value of science in each of our lives.
Authored by Jim Helms, Thomas A. Edison Regional Science and Inventors Fair Steering Committee