Quinlynn Presentation Reflection

This week, a Notre Dame graduate named Quinlyn talked to us about her job as a genetic counselor and what it took for her to get there. I really appreciated the talk because becoming a genetic counselor has been something I have recently considered looking into. I really appreciated the advice she gave during her talk as well. She mentioned that we should take any class we are interested in when we get to college. I found this piece of advice to be very comforting because often I am scared that the major I choose is going to be the only thing I will have the opportunity to focus on and learn about during college. But, knowing that I will have the time and the option to explore other topics makes me feel much less pressured to pick the “right” major.

She also touched on the creation of pedigrees she was required to explain while working, which relates back to the genetic symposium that we are currently working on in class because we use them to help us understand how the disorders are inherited and their patterns. She discussed the math that goes into how one is to determine the chance that a child will inherit a genetic disorder. Additionally, she made sure to emphasize the counselor aspect of her job and how she has to remember that the news she is delivering can be difficult and life altering. This relates back to the symposium because it can be difficult to talk about genetic disorders in a way that is not too offensive or harsh and we have to learn how to discuss them in a way that doesn’t beat around the bush but also isn’t too harsh.