The Toledo Starz Program concluded its fifth year with an awards ceremony Thursday, May 5, honoring the top three students at its symposium before the graduation ceremony.
Toledo Starz is an after-school enrichment program for high school students, particularly those who are historically underrepresented in the sciences and who have an interest in the health profession. It is sponsored by the Office of Faculty and Student Diversity at The University of Toledo.Accepted Toledo area high school students attend monthly sessions from September through May, during which they explore medical issues and various roles involved within the health-care process as presented by UT faculty.
Students present a thoroughly researched topic; this year’s topic was “Health Disparities in Minorities.”
The first-place winner was Mehnoor Durrani, a senior at Notre Dame Academy, with a poster titled “Renal Transplant Disparities in Minority Groups.”
The second-place winner was Kacie Lynne Truss, a senior at St. Ursula Academy. Third place went to Kristian Franklin, a sophomore at Toledo Early College High School.
Toledo Starz was launched in 2006 and since its inception has grown to include a mentoring program that started during the 2008-2009 school year.