Emily Merten initially opposed a career in medicine. Her mother is a nurse, while her father is a pharmacist. “I was going to become a teacher,” she said.
But during her junior year of high school, she realized she had a love for medicine.
“I love the controlled adrenaline of it, being able to help patients and really see that outcome,” Emily said. “I’ve worked as a certified nurse’s assistant for about two years now. I love the patient interaction and being able to make them feel safe in that space.”
After spending a semester at another college, Emily, an Omaha native and Millard North High School graduate, transferred to the College of Saint Mary. Here, she is studying human biology and psychology. After graduation, she plans to go to medical school.
“CSM was on my radar. One of my friends graduated from here, and she was accepted into medical school, so I knew it would be able to get me where I wanted to go,” she said. “I felt really supported when I came on campus. I felt like people were constantly there for me and checking in on me, making sure I had the opportunities presented to me to be able to achieve my goals.”
One of those opportunities was the INBRE Scholars Program. Established in 2001, the INBRE Scholars Program was created to expose students to professional biomedical research and build a statewide biomedical research infrastructure between undergraduate and graduate institutions. It’s a two-year comprehensive training program to prepare students for graduate school.
Primarily for juniors and seniors, Emily, who will be a sophomore, was invited by Professor Ganesh Naik, PhD, director of CSM’s chemistry program, to attend the INBRE program. She has worked on research for acute lymphoblastic leukemia, spending as much as 40 hours a week in the lab.
“It’s been a huge learning experience, and even if I don’t go into research, I’ve definitely gained a ton from it,” she said.
Each Monday during the program, the scholars attend a seminar to learn about graduate programs and different opportunities after earning their degrees.
“It’s really allowed me to see not only the research aspect of it but all the different options that you can do, whether you go into industry or academia,” Emily said.
In addition to her classes, Emily is a member of the Flames Bowling Team.
“I’m really looking forward to competing again. It’s an experience like no other. You really don’t get that experience in high school,” she said. “One of the things I’ve always loved about bowling is that it’s so supportive, not just your team but all the teams in general. You all care about each other. Whether you’re bowling against them or just hanging out on the sidelines, everyone is having a good time supporting each other.”
Emily has been an active bowler since she was a fifth grader. “One of the great things about bowling is that you can start earning scholarship money as young as four or five years old,” she said. “It’s really allowed me to pursue my academics without having to worry about the financial side as much.”
Emily also has been an advocate for the sport. As a high school student, she worked to get the Nebraska School Activities Association to include bowling as a high school sport. That came to fruition when she was a sophomore. She’s also served as a volunteer coach and worked with organizations to get more kids involved in bowling. Two years ago, she was named the National Youth Ambassador and spoke at the national convention in Las Vegas, Nev. In July, she received the Nebraska USBC Youth of Distinction Award.
