April Alumni Spotlight: Sarah Elashaal (Justice High School)

Our April Alumni Spotlight shines on Sara Elashaal, an Alumna from our opportunities Plus program at Justice High School.

After high school, Sara went on to achieve a Bachelor’s degree in Biology with a minor in Chemistry from George Mason University and subsequently graduated from the Henry M. Goldman School of Dental Medicine at Boston University in 2017.

We caught up with Sara and here is what she had to say: 

“I grew up in Egypt and moved to the United States in 2003. The summer before 9th grade, my counselor connected me to LP and I was able to participate in their Opportunities Plus internship program at the Woodrow Wilson Library. I was hoping to intern in a medical setting since I was planning on becoming a doctor, unfortunately, that was not feasible because I didn’t have reliable transportation. However, Sarah, my LP program officer, worked hard and found an internship opportunity that was within walking distance from my house. Even though it wasn’t in a medical setting, I was so thankful for the opportunity and learn valuable job experience that helped me throughout my educational career.

The internship was the first real exposure to a work environment and, like I said before, it helped me develop the necessary skills required to become a successful student/employee. I learned about accountability, discipline, commitment and punctuality. I also gained confidence. In fact, I enrolled in the IB Program at Justice High School, a rigorous four-year program. Using the skills I had learned during my internship experience, I am proud to say that I graduated with an IB diploma, graduated with my bachelor's in three years, and graduated dental school.

I want to encourage young alumni to start thinking about their goals, think about what you want to do in life. After you have your goals, you must now pursue them; for example, if you want to be a doctor, find an internship in a medical office and shadow a doctor, shadowing a doctor is a great way to find out if a career in medicine might be right for you. That can be applied in every career, shadowing for any profession will give you a better understanding of what their typical day is like, and give you good experience to talk about in your applications and interviews when you are applying for scholarships, jobs, and colleges.

Like I said earlier, I grew up thinking I wanted to a surgeon, however, that changed after realizing that I didn’t like their lifestyle or work schedule. I looked into other medical careers and became interested in dentistry, so I shadowed a dentist and loved it! I am currently working as a dentist in Washington, DC, providing affordable dental care to underprivileged children in the DC area. Also, I take my two young kids to that same library where I did my first internship.”