Senior Research Spotlight – Raekwon Williams


Raekwon Williams ’20 – Ingenuity student since 9th grade

Middle School: KIPP Baltimore

Research Area: Medicine and Health

Research Topic: Targeting Glutamine Metabolism in M2 Tumor-Associated Macrophages in Prostate Cancer

Q: What do you like to do outside of studying and research?

A: “I’m a tech geek. In my free time, I watch videos about new technology. I also participate in two sports — swimming and lacrosse.”

Q: When did your interest in STEM begin?

A: “Really between middle and high school — that’s when I started investing more of my time reading about science and research on my own.”

Q: When did you know that STEM is something you’d like to pursue as a career?

A: “When I read The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks in 8th grade, I knew I wanted to be involved in medicine.”

Q: Wheat’s your topic of research, and why did you choose it?

A: “I’m working on prostate cancer research. It’s the second leading cause of cancer death in men in the U.S.”

Q: Where did you do your research?

A: “At the Department of Oncology at the Bloomberg Kimmel Institute for Cancer Immunotherapy, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine.”

Q: What was the best thing about going off-campus to do research?

A: “My mentor, Dr. Jelani Zarif — he’s really supportive. When I first asked him to be my mentor, he didn’t have a lab, and since then, he’s become an assistant professor. It’s great to network with him at Hopkins, and all of the people I meet in the lab. This summer, I went to events with them — talks, birthday parties — it’s a really good group to bond with outside of the lab. And my mentor is always sharing textbooks and articles about Biochemistry with me.”

Q: What was the hardest part of your research? Any surprises along the way?

A: “It took a little while to adjust, especially to the terminology in the lab. Over time, I understood more and more. My mentor was always giving me reading material, so that helped. And it takes time to figure out how to balance extracurriculars like sports with research.”

2 Responses to “Senior Research Spotlight – Raekwon Williams”

  1. GWENDOLYN WILLIAMS

    I enjoyed reading about what you did on your research and how you went about getting your research. My 12 Year old daughter is in ingenuity and I want her to be the best that she can be at researching and understanding and liking and loving what she does. Keep up the great work you are a mentor within yourself.
    Sky’s the limit for you.
    Keep reaching for the TOP.

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