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Over the summer, TNA senior Nathaniel completed The UPMC Hillman Cancer Center Academy – an immersive mentored research program for high school students. During this eight-week program, he engaged in cutting edge cancer research working in laboratories directed by dedicated University of Pittsburgh faculty.

The program consists of eight different mini programs and Nathaniel was assigned to women’s cancer research. “The Hillman Academy was an amazing opportunity,” he said. “I was able to study the concept of DNA Methylation – a form of epigenetics that is still very new in the world of science and cancer research.”

Epigenetics does not affect the nucleotide sequence in DNA, but still affects DNA in a different process. Nathaniel said that he hopes they will use his research someday to expand upon DNA Methylation. “It’s inspiring that something I worked on for eight weeks could possibly change the world of medicine,” he said.

Nathaniel aspires to major in neuroscience or biology, studying to become a surgeon. He has a strong list of college options including University of Pennsylvania, Penn State University, Temple University, University of Maryland, Baltimore County, or The University of Pittsburgh.

Nathaniel isn’t just all brains. He has a passion for biking and has been riding with Pittsburgh Youth Leadership (PYL) since the sixth grade. He has completed some epic trips riding to North Carolina, Wyoming, and the Cumberland to Washington D.C. trip. When he started at The Neighborhood Academy, he didn’t know how to ride a bike. He said that Mr. Ron Snyder took the time to teach him.

From that point, he earned his 1,000-mile jacket, and today has completed more than 4,000 miles with the group. Through everything Nathaniel does, his inspiration is his family, and making them proud is his motivation. “It is almost instinctual for me to make my family proud,” he said. “I have great parents, a younger sister, and an older brother with special needs that are my driving force.”