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Claire Celestin

3,645

Bold Points

6x

Nominee

2x

Finalist

Bio

I am an aspiring physician. I was born and raised in New Hampshire and am passionate about social justice, advocacy, women, and children. I attended Northeastern University as a National Achievement Merit Scholar and earned a Bachelor of Science in Behavioral Neuroscience in 2019. During my time at Northeastern, I was lucky enough to earn scholarships that allowed me to both study (Australia) and volunteer (Peru) abroad, opening my eyes to the world outside of the States. My work in Peru additionally served as the beginning of my work at the intersections of healthcare and racial disparities, after a shadowing experience served as a wake-up call to the inhumane healthcare practices that persist in the 21st century. In 2019 I earned a Marshall Scholarship to pursue postgraduate education in the United Kingdom, earning earned a Master of Science in Women and Children's Health from King's College London in 2020 and a Master of Arts in Social Anthropology from SOAS, University of London in 2021. Throughout my time in London, I have continued to research the underlying causes and advocate for increased awareness of racial disparities in medicine through my academic pursuits and volunteering with Women's Health and Family Services, an organization that is actively addressing these issues by supporting vulnerable populations.

Education

Northeastern University

Bachelor's degree program
2014 - 2019
  • Majors:
    • Neurobiology and Neurosciences

Miscellaneous

  • Desired degree level:

    Doctoral degree program (PhD, MD, JD, etc.)

  • Graduate schools of interest:

  • Transfer schools of interest:

  • Majors of interest:

    • Medicine
  • Planning to go to medical school
  • Career

    • Dream career field:

      Medicine

    • Dream career goals:

      Physician, Advocate, Educator

    • Guest Lecturer

      Syracuse London's "Health Psychology" course for the week on Sex/Gender, Race/Ethnicity and health. Lectured on the adverse impacts of chronic racism and racial discrimination on physical health.
      2021 – 2021
    • Disability Resource Center Notetaker and Peer Tutor

      Northeastern University. Assisted students with upper-level science classes such as Behavioral Endocrinology, Neurobiology, and Seminar in Biological Psychology, providing struggling students with the tools to succeed in their courses.
      2015 – 20194 years
    • Behavioral Neuroscience/Biochemistry Office Assistant

      Northeastern University. Primarily assisted professors with class preparation and organization. Called prospective BNS students and talked with them about my experience at Northeastern and any worries that they might have about college.
      2018 – 20191 year
    • Patient Service Coordinator and Prior Authorization Intern

      Massachusetts General Hospital, Comprehensive Neurology Department. Procured insurance approval for necessary medications/treatments/appointments and served as liaison between patients and providers.
      2016 – 2016
    • Reference Materials and Stability Intern

      Alnylam Pharmaceuticals. Provided information on the efficacy and integrity of pharmaceutical materials (via analytic testing and generating stability reports/regulatory documents) intended for treatment of genetic diseases for FDA approval.
      2018 – 2018
    • Nanny/Babysitter

      Self-Employed. Responsibilities include early childhood development assistance, reading, meal preparation, homework help, potty-training, playing, etc. I am committed to providing quality, affordable, individualized care at all levels.
      2011 – Present13 years
    • Substitute Teacher

      Concord School District. Adapt to role as speciality, classroom teacher, or one-on-one paraprofessional for children with diagnosed behavioral and emotional deficits, gaining communication skills necessary to stand up for a marginalized population.
      2015 – Present9 years
    • Butler and Captain

      CxRA. Assisted in the timely execution of successful events throughout Boston. As Captain I managed, led, and assigned tasks to staff, providing support where needed.
      2016 – 20193 years
    • Teaching Assistant

      Climates of Resistance (Community Audit). Facilitated dialogue among an experientially diverse group of students, educating on the entanglements between climate, racial, and health (in)justice.
      2020 – Present4 years

    Sports

    Basketball

    Junior Varsity
    2010 – Present14 years

    Rowing

    Club
    2010 – 20122 years

    Volleyball

    Varsity
    2008 – 20146 years

    Awards

    • All State, 2013 (High School)
    • Captain (2013-2014)

    Research

    • Reproductive Health

      King's College London, MSc in Women and Children's Health. Primary focus was determining the underlying causes of racial disparities in maternal mortality and adverse birth outcomes. — Researcher
      2019 – 2020
    • Public Health

      King's College London. MSc in Women and Children's Health. Produced a systematic review titled "The impact of cancer treatment modalities on ovarian function in female childhood cancer survivors". — Lead Researcher
      2019 – 2020
    • Sociology and Anthropology

      SOAS, University of London. MA in Social Anthropology. Primary focus was exploring the racial disparities in educational achievement and understanding what tools and experiences allow Black students to successfully bridge this gap. — Lead Researcher
      2020 – 2021
    • Social Psychology

      Northeastern University. Aided in the creation and implementation of research focused on understanding implicit biases and subsequent behavioral overcompensation towards gay people. — Research Assistant
      2015 – 2016

    Arts

    • Concord High School Drama Club (CAST)

      Theatre
      RENT (Mimi Marquez) and Jekyll and Hyde (Lucy Harris)
      2010 – 2014

    Public services

    • Volunteering

      Concord High School, for the course "AP Psychology," discussing educational path and racial disparities research with graduating high school students. — Guest Speaker
      2021 – 2021
    • Volunteering

      Saint Anslem College, for the course "Intermediate Spanish: Healthcare Spanish," discussing experiences in healthcare in Peru and healthcare disparities research. — Guest Speaker
      2020 – 2020
    • Volunteering

      Peace Through Play, an organization dedicated to proactively stopping youth violence by promoting peaceful conflict resolution in Boston's inner-city elementary schools through lesson plans and debriefs. — Volunteer, School Coordinator, Director of Administration
      2014 – 2016
    • Volunteering

      Women's Health and Family Services. I support pregnant women in vulnerable situations, providing them with a support network and access to antenatal and postpartum education and care they otherwise would not have access to. — Maternal Health Advocate and Doula
      2020 – Present
    • Advocacy

      Marshall Mutual Aid Fund. Working to provide an equitable Scholar experience to those within the Marshall community. — Co-Founder and Acting Chair
      2020 – 2021
    • Volunteering

      Ruruchay Casa de Nacimiento. In Peru, I worked with a local midwife and assisted her in providing compassionate, individualized care to pregnant women in the local community. — Doula/Assistant to Midwife
      2017 – 2017

    Future Interests

    Advocacy

    Politics

    Volunteering

    Philanthropy

    Entrepreneurship

    Bold Know Yourself Scholarship
    ‘Burnout’ is defined by the World Health Organization (2020) as “a form of exhaustion caused by constantly feeling swamped. It’s a result of excessive and prolonged emotional, physical and mental stress … [and] happens when you’re overwhelmed, emotionally drained, and unable to keep up with life’s incessant demands.” Over the past two years, I have seen more blogs, posts, articles, and memes about burnout than I ever have in my life. It is a phrase that so perfectly summed up my high school and undergraduate experience, where I often felt so exhausted and overwhelmed by my responsibilities that I struggled to get anything done. Over the past two years, I have also learned the things that I need to do to stop myself from burning out. Specifically, I have worked on learning my limits and understanding that it’s okay to ask for help when I need it instead of feeling like I need to do everything on my own. I have allowed myself to acknowledge the limits of my humanity and to admit that I feel deeply and easily become emotionally involved in my work, my schooling, and my volunteering, which can have detrimental effects on my psychology. In allowing myself to admit these things, I have thus let myself explore the ways that I can prioritize my well-being, such as through a ‘social recharge’ where I spend the day by myself reading a book on my ‘To Read’ list and burning my favorite candle. Knowing myself and my limits have been the most valuable lessons that I have learned, allowing me to stay the best version of myself so that I am then more able to serve others and accomplish the goals that I have set for myself.
    Bold Talent Scholarship
    Every night as a child my mom would sing me to sleep. Although she would be the first to admit that singing is not one of her strengths (her mother made her mouth the words to church songs on Sunday), I believe that I owe my singing talent to her. Music and song have been integral parts of my life for as long as I remember, and I am constantly humming, often without realizing, to some song stuck in my head. To say that I love singing would be an understatement. I began performing for audiences when I was eight, and what had started as singing in the shower, car, or with my mom before bed, became performing in talent shows and musicals throughout elementary and high school. Growing up, I had what was referred to as ‘raw talent,’ but in my junior year of high school, I was allowed to take vocal lessons, allowing me to hone my talent and understand how to not only use my voice but to care for and nurture it through diet and practice. I would start each day with vocal warmups and a spoonful of honey and carefully wrap my neck with a scarf during the winter. In my most intense moments, I even avoided dairy and chocolate which have been known to negatively impact the vocal cords. These days, I still use the vocal exercises and care tips that I was taught even though I am no longer performing on stages. Instead, I have turned to posting song covers on social media and performing private concerts in the car and the shower, although I still hold out hope that one day I might get lucky, be discovered, and transform the talent that I love into a livelihood.