Genetic Counseling

             In class, I got to meet two very inspiring women who spoke about their passion for genetic counseling, Quinlyn Highsmith and Brooke Nightingale! One thing that was very interesting to hear about was how Quinlyn found her passion and how she recommends we find ours. First, she suggested that we focus on what subjects we find most interesting in school and then research careers that have to do with these subjects. She also recommended shadowing people at different jobs because it will help us observe what daily life would look like in that career. I really enjoyed hearing about Quinlyn’s suggestions because I have never even thought of shadowing different places to determine if a specific job is what I want to pursue. This is a great tip and piece of advice that I will definitely use in the future to explore more about the possible jobs that I am thinking of applying for. 

            Next, hearing about Brooke’s experience with genetic counseling was a little bit different because she has more experience in this field. I learned so much from her presentation and found the stories of her clients very interesting. One thing that Brooke taught the class about was Androgen Insensitivity Syndrome. This was a very engaging topic because I have never heard about this condition before. Brooke had two female clients who were curious to know why they had not gotten their period yet by the time they were 16 and 20 years old. After running tests and analyzing the results, Brooke found that they had Androgen Insensitivity Syndrome which is when someone has an X and a Y chromosome (which males have), however, their body cannot respond to some male hormones. This is why people with this condition may have some physical female characteristics, but be genetically male, thus not getting a period. This really surprised me because conditions like Androgen Insensitivity Syndrome are definitely not talked about very often, ultimately making these lessons and topics more taboo. Although Brooke’s presentation touched a lot on topics that I have explored in my AP Biology class, such as inheritance, family pedigrees, and disorders such as breast cancer and Alzheimer’s, she also introduced a completely new condition that I have never gotten to learn about before!

            After sharing this with us, I felt very connected to Brooke’s story because she reminded me of a nurse. She spoke about how delivering this kind of news to her clients is very difficult to do, which is why it is so important for her to be a strong support system for others. I respected Brooke on a deeper level after this because I realized that she is not just examining tests and reporting what she finds, but she is also delivering life-changing information that ultimately breaks family’s hearts. This is why I loved when she recognized that a huge part of her job is to continuously be compassionate and supportive to whoever she is working with. 

            Although I got to spend an entire class period learning from both Quinlyn and Brooke, I am still curious to hear about Quinlyn’s future and other clients that Brooke works with! I have included a picture below, that Brooke shared with my class, about the multiple tasks of a genetic counselor in case you are interested in pursuing a career in this field!