BALTIMORE, Md. – Whether it’s orchestrating the swirl of fast-paced activity in the center of the court, perfectly setting up one of her powerful hitters, writing a research paper on “The Role of Syndecan-1 Expression in Glucose Metabolism” or dodging the occasional flying mouse, nothing rattles Coppin State senior Chelsee Sauni on or off the volleyball court.

Sauni enjoyed a memorable and challenging summer interning at the prestigious Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. She participated in a research project with the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine in the pathology department in which every skill needed to succeed as an elite student-athlete was displayed as she successfully completed the program.

“I had to my practice my patience as well as stay calm,” Sauni said of her internship. “I think volleyball has helped me with that. My research project was studying type-2 diabetes and to test the glucose metabolism in mice the whole summer. I was given the task of finding out how mice take in sugar and use it as energy.”

It was the first time that Sauni worked with mice for an extended period of time. Quite naturally, it took her some time to get adjusted.

“I was afraid at first because mice are these little things that crawl around,” Sauni said. “Before the program started, I went to training for rodent handling. Our teacher told us that if I am scared of the mouse, then it’s even more scared of me. By the end of the summer, I was one of the best people at handling a mouse. There’s a lot of crazy things that happens with handling them especially when we give them doses of sugar. They act crazy and run around like children. One even flew at me.”

While she learned about handling rodents, Sauni also participated in leadership training and learned about the many careers in public health. Adding to her hectic summer was that Sauni took a six-week summer class at Coppin State and continued her grueling workout regimen in order to be in shape for the start of Coppin State’s volleyball season that begins Friday afternoon against Manhattan in the Towson Invitational at 2:30 p.m.

Sauni concluded the internship by presenting her research findings during an oral presentation to faculty, staff members, interns and members of the Bloomberg School of the Public Health.

“This definitely opened my eyes to the different opportunities I could have career-wise,” Sauni said. “The internship was long days and short nights. This internship gave me a taste of how life would be for me after I graduate. I learned what my interest was. I never thought of public health as a career choice for me. It was very challenging and time consuming.”

As one of Coppin State’s top student-athletes, Sauni has conquered every challenge thrown at her during her splendid career. She is a two-time member of the All-Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) Commissioners Academic Team.

On the court, Sauni is Coppin State’s all-time leader in assists and is 23 away from reaching 3,000 for her storied career. She was selected to the MEAC preseason volleyball team in July. Sauni’s gifted ability to dissect opposing defenses, make the perfect read and set her teammates in great position to do damage has helped the Lady Eagles become one of the best volleyball programs in the MEAC.

However, during the summer internship, Sauni’s personal accomplishments were the furthest thing from her mind. Sauni was the second consecutive Coppin State volleyball student-athlete to intern at Johns Hopkins. Recent graduate Ariel Richard enjoyed a four-week experience working as an intern at the prestigious Johns Hopkins Hospital in the physical therapy and rehabilitation department last summer. 

“I didn’t expect to be chosen,” Sauni said. “I rode on faith when I applied during the winter for the program. I am glad I was selected because it was special and a blessing for me. I knew I wanted to do something with Johns Hopkins because it’s one of the top medical schools in the nation. To be chosen and complete it is definitely a feat for me. I know the name Johns Hopkins scares people away, but I encourage anybody to apply for what you believe in. If you’re competent in your abilities, you’ll be able to tackle any challenge.”