Student gets dream internship

This is a good story: The Hays Daily News

For Sarah Miller, the summer truly was one to remember.

A senior in nursing at Fort Hays State University, Miller has known since high school she wanted to pursue a career in medicine. And for years, her goal has been to work at St. Jude Children's Research Hospital in Memphis, Tenn., a dream that was fulfilled with a summer internship.

"It was completely everything I thought it was going to be, and then some," Miller said.

Miller's interest in the hospital began with an infomercial about the hospital's cancer research, which "really touched my heart," she said.

A native of Hill City, Miller worked 7 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. shifts Monday through Friday for two weeks. Her mother, Karen Miller, and younger sister, Holly, who will be a sophomore at FHSU, also were along for the ride.

As a student, she was somewhat limited in her duties, but she still had plenty of hands-on experience. She also got to know some of her patients -- young children battling cancer.

"It's amazing to see how strong they are and how positive they are, even though they have such deadly illnesses," Miller said. "It was a very humbling experience."

For the Miller family, the fight against cancer is highly personal. Karen Miller was diagnosed with a rare form of the disease in 1997.

Holly Miller also wants to spend her life making people better. She's planning a career as a biomedical researcher and was able to tour the research facility at St. Jude and talk to others in the field.

The family stayed in a downtown hotel, and the only low point of the trip came when their van was stolen, along with all its contents, Sarah Miller said. It was found a few days later but could not be driven. The family has since invested in a new vehicle.

"You've got to take the good with the bad sometimes," Miller said. "This just happened to be the really good with the really bad."

But despite that, she's already ready to go back. And after graduating this spring, her dream is to turn the internship into a career, she said.

It was a whirlwind of a summer, and Miller admitted the reality of it all has yet to soak in.

"It was amazing," she said. "I keep saying that, but that's all I can think of is how awesome it was."