“Authentic, Real-World Experiences”: Junior Lucy Lanier ’28 Lays Foundation for Career in Medicine through HRA’s REACH Initiative

For too many high school students, summer is an excuse to unplug from education and forget much of what they learned during the previous school year. But for Hampton Roads Academy junior Lucy Lanier ’28, this past summer was an opportunity to apply what she had learned in the classroom across multiple pre-professional experiences and develop crucial skills for a future career in medicine.

Lanier was one of 23 HRA Upper Schoolers who completed internships, shadowed local professionals, and engaged in collegiate-level study and research through the REACH (Real-world Experience and Academic Choice) Initiative during summer 2026. Reflecting the Academy’s commitment to applied learning beyond our campus, REACH was established in 2019 thanks to the efforts of then-Director of Upper School Karen Gillespie (who has since served as Interim Director of Middle School) and then-Director of College Counseling Ben Rous (now Assistant Head of School and Director of Upper School), who envisioned a broader approach to college preparation at HRA. The initiative, directed by Science Department Chair Dr. Maribel Gendreau, connects students with a range of hands-on pre-professional opportunities across five fields: applied sciences and technology, environmental studies and outdoor leadership, fine arts, global studies, and health sciences.

“REACH is unique because it combines academic learning with authentic, real-world experiences not typically available to students at other schools,” Gendreau said. “These experiences help students better understand their interests and strengths, solidify their college and career goals, and build the skills and confidence they need to succeed.”

From independent research at universities and museums and mentorships under physicians, surgeons, and physical therapists to leadership programs in ecosystem management and performing opportunities in the old cities of Europe, this year’s REACH experiences allowed Navigators to explore a wide array of disciplines. 2026 participants included:

Lanier alone completed four distinct experiences through REACH that allowed her to engage in both clinical and volunteer work in her chosen field. These included shadowing surgeons with Bon Secours and Virginia Plastic Surgery, participating in the Riverside Regional Medical Center Junior Volunteer Program, and taking a challenging Introduction to Medicine course through Duke Pre-College. Though she knew she wanted to go to medical school and study for a career in surgery, Lanier was not set on a particular specialty. She selected her REACH experiences, she explained, because she believed “they would compliment each other and give [her] a multifaceted view of the world of medicine,” helping her refine her vision of her future path.

Four Windows into Medicine

Just after the end of the 2025-2026 school year, Lanier kicked off her summer by traveling to Puerto Rico with Gendreau and a group of her peers for eleven days of cultural immersion and practical learning about ecology, conservation, and sustainability. Once she returned to the mainland in mid-June, she jumped right into her work with REACH.

The junior spent the next month shadowing three doctors at Virginia Plastic Surgery (VPS). After helping medical assistants prepare the office each morning for patient visits and in-office procedures, she would accompany one of the surgeons throughout their rotations, including pre- and postoperative appointments and such interventions as Mohs reconstructions for skin cancer patients. She also had the opportunity to join the doctors in the operating room for more involved surgeries, from rhinoplasty to liposuction. This unmatched, first-hand exposure to diverse aspects of clinical work allowed her to develop a meaningful understanding of the field of plastic surgery before starting any formal medical training.

“Everyone at VPS, from the doctors to the medical assistants, was an excellent teacher,” Lanier said. “I truly enjoyed my experience there and learned so much.”

Lanier’s pre-collegiate medicine course at Duke University began just days after she completed her internship with VPS. The Navigator described each day of the two-week program as “jam-packed with learning and social opportunities” as she stepped out of the clinic and onto a college campus. Living in the dorms and attending interactive lectures delivered by second-year Duke medical students, Lanier gained insight into university life as well as her intended career field. Her learning experience was elevated by a number of hands-on activities, from a suturing lesson with a local dermatologist to a trip to the Duke Medicine Pavilion on West Campus, where anesthesiologists taught her and her peers how to perform CPR, insert intravenous tubes, and intubate a patient.

In early August, Lanier explored another side of the health field by volunteering with nurses in the cardiovascular telemetry unit at Riverside Regional Medical Center. The experience provided an illuminating window into the interpersonal dimension of healthcare, as Lanier assisted with such tasks as bringing patients food, water, and warm blankets and simply engaging them in bedside conversation on days when family members had not come to visit. This important work resonated with Lanier’s deep community service background as co-president of the Youth Volunteer Corps and executive board member of the medical service organization Operation Smile at HRA. It also gave her an appreciation for the full range of responsibilities, beyond diagnosis and the implementation of treatment plans, that help to ensure positive outcomes for patients.

Lanier’s experience with REACH this past summer wrapped up much as it had begun, with the junior once again shadowing a doctor from in-office consultations to time in the operating room. This time, however, she had the opportunity to work closely with Dr. Nicole Yeshtokin, a general surgeon at Bon Secours and step-mother of recent HRA graduate Isaac Yeshtokin ’26. Along with senior Indira Hartke ’27 and sophomore June Hale ’29, Lanier joined Dr. Yeshtokin as she saw patients, completed rounds in the intensive care unit, and performed several different types of surgery. With supervision, the junior was even able to perform physical exams and help change dressings.

Yeshtokin deeply values her role as a mentor to Upper School Navigators, especially young women like Lanier, treasurer of Women in Science and Engineering (WISE) at HRA. “Historically, surgery has been male-dominated, but we are seeing a shift in this field and better outcomes with female surgeons,” she said. “Meaningful exposure in a work environment helps [students] see what is possible and build connections with people who are going to support their goals.”

Irreplaceable Opportunities

Lanier embarked on her journey with the REACH Initiative eager to learn what the medical profession looks like from the inside and discover whether this would truly be the path for her. She returned to HRA in late August more certain than ever that she would pursue the pre-med track in college and a career in surgery beyond that.

REACH, she explained, has allowed her to forge relationships with exceptional mentors and join “a community of like-minded individuals that are all looking to succeed.” Her experiences with professionals and peers have taught her invaluable lessons, both about medicine and about professional conduct in general.

As Gendreau explained, REACH students “develop important skills such as teamwork, communication, collaboration, and problem solving while working with others on meaningful projects.”

Lanier noted that her varied pre-professional experiences helped her grasp the importance of understanding her role as a member of a team in every setting, whether that means asking questions to learn or restocking the refrigerator in a hospital ward. “Embrace your position and your purpose in every aspect of life,” she said, “and make the most of it always.”

As far as Yeshtokin is concerned, “Lucy will be a superstar in her chosen field, and the type of person we would all hope will be our doctor in our time of need.” According to the surgeon, this “mature and well-spoken” Navigator “already could easily pass for a medical student.”

For her part, Lanier has her sights set on the next chapter. “The experiences I had this summer are irreplaceable,” she said. “I am so excited for my future.”