With constant encouragement to pursue internships during their college career, students are becoming more aware that professionals are looking for that spark in their resume that stands out from the rest of the applicants.

For former Lone Star College-Montgomery and current University of Houston student, Kendra Gagneux, that spark was more like a massage–an open heart cardiac massage-that she experienced as part of the ultra-competitive Michael DeBakey Summer Surgery Program.

After just one month in the program, Gagneux has already experienced opportunities many could never imagine, such as participating in lung and cerebral surgeries, shadowing doctors in the intensive care unit (ICU) and even massaging a beating human heart (also called open-chest cardiac massage). click here for complete story