Where This TRIP Begins by Punam Mojumdar

Some days feel completely normal, until one moment, one singular moment changes quite literally everything. That day started like any other. Same routine, same people, same classes, and same expectations, until the last period of the day. A notification popped up on my phone. It was an email from THE Dr. Austria regarding a program I had applied to weeks earlier: TRIP. Expecting rejection, I opened the email, but to my surprise I advanced to the next stage of the program. The shock came first, followed by immense excitement. 

Hey everyone! Welcome to my first blog entry. My name is Punam Mojumdar, and I’m a 17-year-old junior at Bensalem High School. Most know me as a talkative person who loves sparking conversations with anyone and everyone. Getting to know someone new feels like stepping into a completely different perspective, and that curiosity is one of the main reasons I was so excited to join TRIP. It’s a chance to become part of a community — a science community — filled with people who share the same passion for discovery. Being guided by mentors who are already fluent in the language of science is truly a blessing, giving me both inspiration and a sense of belonging.

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I like to keep myself busy with activities both in and outside of school because I enjoy learning, creating, and helping others. At school, I participate in clubs like PJAS, where I design my own experiments, and HOSA, which connects me to my other interests in the medical field. Outside of school, I volunteer at Jefferson Hospital and shadow a physical therapist, gaining hands-on experience in patient care and learning how to combine professionalism with empathy. Art is another big part of my life —painting and creating gives me space to reflect and explore ideas and I’ve found it complements science in an unexpected way. Alongside these activities, my best friend and I also created care kits for survivors of domestic violence, providing essential items and comfort to people in need (donations are gathered from the community, and kits that are made are sent to partnering women shelters). On another note, I joined my regional fire station, becoming a junior firefighter, which wasn’t exactly part of my original plan, but nonetheless it has taught me the value of service. Originally I wanted to be an Emergency Medical Technician, and I still have plans to do this in the future, but somehow life took me in another direction. Staying busy with all of these experiences pushes me to grow in different ways, both as a student and person!

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In the future, I definitely see myself pursuing a career in STEM, in the medical field, specifically in surgery. My interest in medicine comes from something psychologists call prosocial motivation—the desire to help others simply because it matters to you. I want to make an impact. I want to create a difference, even if it's only for one person, because sometimes, just sometimes, some moments of care can change everything. While this goal may sound cliché, it's a belief that genuinely guides me. Every step taken will be for this journey, and for me this TRIP begins with TRIP.

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