Jenna Ijam is a dedicated and passionate third-year Medical Science student with an Honours Specialization in Biochemistry at the University of Western Ontario in the faculty of Schulich School of Medicine and Dentistry. She continuously pushes herself academically and in getting involved in her community. She has exemplary time management skills and commitment through years of working with a variety of teams, balancing challenging courses, and holding multiple leadership positions. As a third cultured individual who has lived 16 years abroad, she has a deep appreciation and understanding of the importance of diversity, equity, inclusivity, and cultural awareness and is an advocate for the international community on her campus. This includes volunteering with Western International for three years as a Lead Orientation Volunteer, International Week Student Ambassador, and an International Peer Guide. In addition, she has completed all the requirements to become a Western recognized DEID (Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Decolonization) Champion and will be participating in quarterly meetings to discuss initiatives to make the Western campus and community more accessible, equitable, and inclusive. Jenna also demonstrates strong leadership and communication skills as the Biochemistry Club events executive and the second place winner at both the Western University Collegiate Leadership Competition and the National Canadian Invitational Collegiate Leadership Competition with her team. With this experience, she understands the importance of agility, flexibility, and effective communication in decision-making and being open to different approaches in tackling obstacles.
By pursuing a Bachelor's of Medical Science, she hopes to become more exposed to pathways in medicine, science, research, and engineering. She looks to expand her expertise in the STEM fields by participating in hands-on research opportunities to expand her knowledge base. After completing the Johns Hopkins Biomedical Engineering Innovation Summer Program, she has grown an interest for innovation and engineering related problem-solving and has gained experience working with Arduino, specifically with programming biosensors. This experience has made her very interested in continuing in Engineering Innovation projects, specifically related to sustainability and solar or open source hardware. In addition, she has completed a unique research project under the direction of Dr. David Edgell and has gained valuable practical laboratory experience, specifically in gene editing and CRISPR. In this project, she investigated the TevCas9 fusion dual nuclease and the affinity of this protein to DNA after DNA cleavage.
Jenna also has a strong passion for advocacy and is an Undergraduate student senator representing the Faculty of Science on the Western University Senate and in the Science Student Council. In addition, as a member of the Western Sustainability Leaders Program, she has a strong passion for sustainability and actively advocates for more sustainable use across campus, especially labs which dispose of so much waste every year that can be recycled.
Overall, Jenna has shown and continues to demonstrate that she has a determination to make an impact in any position she holds. With a curiosity to learn, she is a valuable addition to any workplace and actively engages in anything she puts her mind to.