Dr. Hendricks suddenly appeared beside me and saved me from the increasingly uncomfortable family dynamic.
« Sarah, there are a few people from Harvard who would like to meet you. Do you have a moment? »
‘Of course,’ I said gratefully.
‘People from Harvard?’ My father’s voice sounded different, as it always did when speaking with Marcus’s law professors or other important people. ‘What kind of people from Harvard?’
“Dr. Amanda Foster flew in especially from Boston for today’s ceremony,” explained Dr. Hendricks. “She is the researcher Sarah will be working with. She wanted to meet Sarah and discuss some preliminary research ideas with her.”
‘Has Doctor Foster been here today?’ My mother looked at me now as if I had changed into a different person.
“The medical faculty takes scholarship recipients very seriously,” says Dr. Hendricks. “Especially someone with Sarah’s research potential. Her work on protein folding has implications that extend far beyond what most students achieve.”
I saw the calculations in my parents’ heads. A professor from Harvard flying over especially to meet their daughter. Research potential. This was the kind of academic recognition they understood and appreciated, the kind of recognition they had seen Marcus receive, but never me.
‘We would really like to meet Dr. Foster,’ Dad said quickly. ‘Certainly, honey? We would like to hear more about Sarah’s research options.’
Twenty minutes later, I found myself in the surreal situation of watching my parents listen to every word of Dr. Amanda Foster, a woman who had come from Boston to discuss my future in research. Dr. Foster was exactly as I had imagined: brilliant, capable, and genuinely enthusiastic about the work we were about to do together.
“Sarah’s research during her undergraduate studies is remarkably advanced,” Dr. Foster explained to my captivated family. “Most students at her level are still learning the most basic laboratory techniques. Sarah has discovered new protein interactions that could lead to early intervention strategies for Alzheimer’s patients.”
‘Early intervention,’ Dad repeated, as if taking notes. ‘That sounds very important.’
