Discovering physiology: a high school student's journey into STEM: perspective and advice

Pursuing a career in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) can be an exciting yet intimidating journey for high school students. This perspective provides a unique firsthand insight from a high school student working in a medical research laboratory and pursuing a STEM career. It explores the current high school STEM landscape, briefly covering coursework, university summer internships, and science fairs while discussing the importance of early STEM engagement and the opportunities and challenges students face. Additionally, this work highlights how fostering STEM interest at the high school level can enhance critical thinking and problem-solving skills essential for careers in fields such as engineering and artificial intelligence. Extracurricular opportunities, including the American Physiological Society Physiology Understanding (PhUn) Week and research internships, are also briefly covered. Furthermore, insights from a high school student, a Ph.D. student, and a principal investigator provide advice on gaining research experience. Finally, this Perspectives article discusses potential career pathways and opportunities that stem from early STEM engagement.