Khunsha Ahmed has a goal – she wants to cure kidney cancer. Khunsha will start her senior year at Fishers High School next month.
Ahmed is the only Indiana representative from the 100 recipients of the Emperor Science Award, a PBS LearningMedia and Stand Up To Cancer initiative designed to encourage high school students to explore careers in science, focusing on cancer research and care.
The Emperor Science Award program received nearly 800 applications from eligible 10th and 11th grade students in 44 states throughout the U.S. Prominent scientists served as judges and evaluated the students’ applications: written essays submitted online January 10 through March 17, addressing why scientific research is so important in finding a cure for cancer, what scientific field they would study and why.
She was honored recently for her essay about renal cell carcinoma, the most common type of kidney cancer.
Ahmed is now in the midst of a summer mentorship with IU Health Simon Cancer Center oncologist Costantine Albany.
The mentorship is just one reward for Ahmed’s winning entry. She also received a new Google Chromebook and a $1,500 stipend from PBSLearningMedia.