When Shannoy Fraser talks about studying neuroscience, it sounds personal.
Before moving to Bridgeport from Jamaica in 2024, Shannoy saw what happens when people need care and can’t get it. She watched families struggle to support loved ones dealing with behavioral health challenges. She saw how limited access to healthcare shaped entire communities.
Those experiences stayed with her.
Now, less than two years after arriving in the United States, Shannoy is preparing to attend Wesleyan University this fall, where she plans to study neuroscience with hopes of eventually attending medical school.
This summer, she’s spending nearly two months at Oregon Health and Science University in Portland participating in a competitive cancer research internship focused on pancreatic cancer.
Five days a week, from morning to evening, Shannoy is working alongside researchers in a laboratory setting studying pancreatic tumors. At the end of the program, participants will be listed as co-publishers on the research they help produce.
For Shannoy, the opportunity feels both exciting and unfamiliar.
“I’m nervous about being away from home,” she admitted. “But I’m excited too.”
The internship is also her first experience living in a dorm before college begins in September.
At Warren Harding High School, Shannoy built a reputation as a student leader. She served as HOSA President, represented students through Bridgeport’s Board of Education, and stayed involved in community service and youth leadership work.
She was also an active participant in Hall Neighborhood House’s high school programs—and she credits Hall Neighborhood House’s HNH LEADS program with helping her navigate a future that once felt difficult to access.
Shannoy first connected with Hall after joining a volunteer organization at school. Through the LEADS program, she received hands-on support with college essays, applications, and campus visits. More importantly, she gained insight into what college could actually look like.
“It went really in-depth,” she said. “Not just applications, but understanding what colleges are looking for and how to prepare yourself.”
That preparation helped open doors.
Not long ago, she was adjusting to life in a new country. Now she’s conducting cancer research.
When asked what she would tell another student considering Hall’s LEADS program, Shannoy didn’t hesitate.
“Definitely go for it,” she said. “Hall really helps people reach their goals. But you have to be willing to put in the work too.”
That combination—support, determination, and access—is exactly what Hall Neighborhood House works to build for students across Bridgeport every day.
And for students like Shannoy, those opportunities can stretch far beyond the classroom.
Over the summer, Shannoy will be sharing more about her experience through Hall Neighborhood House’s blog and social media channels—from life in Oregon to the realities of working in a cancer research lab before her first year of college even begins.
Follow along with her journey on our Instagram and website this summer as she takes the next steps toward a future in medicine and research.