Why Mentorship

It is no secret that success in a career—and in one’s life- is in no small part due to having a great mentor. We all know we need them; some of us have been fortunate enough to have them; and I have had the great, good fortune of being able to be one for a host of young, talented students. Anyone who has shared this role of mentor can attest to the personal satisfaction that comes from watching a young person reach their full potential.

Mentoring, however, goes far beyond that; an effective mentor is someone who cares and what an enormous honor it has been to care for these individuals! It turns out that you don’t have to know Avogadro’s number or the chemical formula for paraformaldehyde; to be a great mentor means you have to know and care about each person.

A lot of these young people put a fantastic amount of pressure on themselves to achieve, and some worry that they won’t be able to leave out their dreams. Our program is here to say, “it’s not as hard as you think and we’re here to help you see that.” What an incredible honor to be a part of making a person’s dreams come true. Thank you for your belief and support in our program!

Jill Helms, DDS, PhD
Director, Stanford STaRS Internship

I’ve heard that the only way to accomplish great things in life is to love what you do. I love being a part of someone’s learning experience.

Each year, the “professor” in me becomes the student. This year, I relished being in-person once again, experiencing once again the excitement and challenge of doing hands-on research with my young colleagues. Each year, I’ve witnessed- and attempted to imitate- their resilience and determination to learn. Whenever I feel depressed or anxious about the state of our nation, of our world- I look to these STaRS interns and my faith and hope is restored. Their future is so bright, we’re gonna all have to wear shades!

Jerri Anna Roper
Administrative Associate, Stanford STaRS Internship

After graduating from Stanford with a deep interest in education equity, I found the opportunity to work with Dr. Helms as an administrator for the Science, Technology, and Reconstructive Surgery summer internship, where students who have an interest in research are able to conduct it in a Stanford lab with no cost. I grew up in rural Appalachia, which meant that opportunities like STaRS didn’t exist because of a lack of educational resources in my family and in our community. I have seen firsthand how impactful one opportunity can be for an intern with no prior experience in a lab setting, and I hope that this program (and others like it) will flourish and expand to bring in curious students from underrepresented backgrounds in medicine!

Joseph Grauer
2019 Stanford STaRS Mentor

One of the last lectures of my “intro to perio” course in first-year dental school, we learned about wound healing and regenerative procedures: reader, I was hooked. I wasted no time in searching for a lab where I could pursue this newfound interest, and Prof. Jill Helms' lab came up in my searches. After emailing, she enthusiastically offered me a seat in her lab, and I got to work exploring the role of stem cells in maintaining the junctional epithelium in health and injury. During this time, I had my first exposure to surgical procedures performed on rodent models: I assisted with bone grafts and implant placements. This spurred my interest in pursuing periodontology as a specialty and allowed me to gain first-hand experience with participating in cutting-edge research in the field. Joining her lab that summer felt like a stroke of incredible luck, and it has profoundly shaped my career aspirations. Furthermore, Prof. Helms has been instrumental in helping me cultivate the ability to thoughtfully develop new research questions and critically analyze existing literature. More recently, she served as my Master's advisor during Periodontics training, even years after my first summer in her lab. Since then, I have now completed my training in periodontics and plan to work at the intersection of research, teaching, and clinical practice, and I truly cannot thank Prof. Helms enough for unwavering dedication to mentorship.

Arush Joshi
2019 Stanford STaRS Mentor

Before STaRS, I never imagined myself pursuing a career in medicine. I actually wanted to be a sports analyst on ESPN. I loved playing and watching sports, diving into team and player statistics, identifying patterns, and making predictions based on trends. I liked biology, but my AP Biology class was mostly lectures, and I rarely saw how the material applied to the world around me. That changed when I joined STaRS. The hands-on learning and guidance from my mentors helped me discover the beauty of biology and regenerative medicine. I still remember the first time I looked under a microscope, fascinated by the vibrant colors highlighting different cell types. What excited me even more was seeing those images turn into meaningful data. It reminded me of sports analysis, where you collect information and make sense of it. But in this case, the conclusions had the power to improve the lives of many patients. The experience at STaRS inspired me to pursue research at the University of Washington, where I completed my bachelor's degree. There, I had the opportunity to lead a research project, something I could not have done without the strong foundation STaRS gave me. More than just lab techniques, I learned how to think critically, assess evidence, and make thoughtful decisions. In a world where information is readily available, these skills are essential in any career.

Joshua Mok
2023 Stanford STaRS Mentor

I was one of your STaRS interns during the 2023 Summer. Working with Pedro on Wnt signaling was one of the most memorable and formative experiences I've had. I hope the microscope manual and mice work that I contributed yielded useful results! I am currently on my pre-med path at UC Berkeley and conducting research with Dr. Sona Kang and interning with UCSF Innovation Ventures this summer. I also started working with Noem Noiwangklang at QB3/Bakar Labs-- super exciting!