Jed Cha

Aspiring Medical Student

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About me

I'm a high school student from Fort Lee, New Jersey, and for as long as I can remember, I've been drawn to medicine β€” not because I have it all figured out, but because I keep finding more questions worth asking. I've been fortunate to have experiences that most students my age don't get access to: completing EMT training, shadowing physicians in several specialties, and spending summers at Columbia and the University of Pittsburgh exploring oncology research and clinical practice. I even published a research paper on air quality patterns in the NY Metro area, which taught me more about how much I still have to learn than anything else. Each of these experiences has only deepened my curiosity about how the human body works, how healthcare systems operate, and where there's still room to do better.

Beyond medicine, I find myself drawn to teaching and building things with other people. I started a small nonprofit called Codificar to offer free programming instruction to middle and high school students in my area β€” something I wished had existed when I was learning. I tutor younger students, lead a community composting project, compete in rock climbing, sing in the NJ All-State Choir, and play drums and guitar for my church. I don't say all of this to make it sound like I have a lot going on β€” honestly, most of it just started with noticing a problem or an opportunity and wanting to help. I'm still figuring out the kind of impact I want to make, but I'm genuinely excited about the process of getting there.