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-Two locations close to campus.
-25 spots available.
-Must pass a knowledge assessment in math and science and be a junior in good standing or have the recommendation from one of the USC science professors.
My pulse sped up, and the sense of hope filled me up when I realized this would be such a perfect opportunity. There were things I’d need to overcome, though, such as being a junior or getting the recommendation. The assessment test might be a challenge too.
But for twenty bucks an hour for ten to fifteen hours a week, it would be more than worth accepting the challenges head-on. This would allow me to be home more with Rami and help Dad and Nic with her. Plus, I’d be earning more than double what any campus job paid. The best part would be working in an actual lab. I’d be networking and learning the industry I was going to go into. It would be time much better spent than working in the library again or assisting in the computer lab.
“This looks great, Nic. It would be amazing to earn that kind of money and be able to be home with you guys more,” I murmured.
“More time with Rami,” Nic added quietly.
Nic knew as well as I did that Rami’s health was declining rapidly. She was on a trial medication that was supposed to delay, or slow, the disease’s progression. But it wasn’t making her better, just giving her more time. So time with her had become increasingly important.
“There’s only twenty-five spots, though. And you’re a freshman. Can you get the recommendation from a professor?” Nic asked.
My eyes shifted from the flier to the abdomen of Professor Lucas Grant. He had been my only science teacher since coming to USC. Thankfully, he was on the Science Department board and carried a lot of clout. But could I say that I had a good enough rapport with him to where he would stick his neck out and recommend me? Doubtful. I supposed that was one of the reasons why they wanted juniors who had been in the department for a while and knew for sure this was what they wanted to do.
I looked at the bullet point again that referenced the twenty dollars an hour and the required hours during the week. I had to try because this would mean too much to my family. It would give me more time with Rami while not sacrificing money that I would have earned working on campus. When Professor Grant was done talking to a few students, I spoke up.
“Hi, Professor Grant,” I began. His gray eyes settled on me, intimidating me almost instantly. I look down at the flier and then up at Grant again when he spoke.
“Hello, Mr. Andris. I see you’ve decided to come back for your second semester.”
His voice sounded slightly different from the booming deep voice I heard from him in the lecture hall. He didn’t sound impressed to see me. Did he expect me to drop out? Why would I drop out? I had too much riding on me graduating. My family had expectations for me to get my degree. Maybe he didn’t like dealing with students who weren’t further along with their credit count. Maybe he wasn’t thrilled about dealing with me for another semester while I was still a freshman. Too fucking bad. He was going to have to deal with me because I needed his classes to earn my degree.
But I had to be a suck up and overly friendly if I wanted to get his recommendation for the paid internship.
“I did, yes. I’m excited for my second semester and looking forward to Molecular Biology,” I said in an eager, but not fake, tone. He walked around the other professor and stood in front of me with the table separating us.
“Did you practice your penmanship during winter break?”
What a dick.
“His handwriting is pretty messy,” Nic added.
“Professor Grant, this is my older brother, Nic.” I introduced them, and they shook hands and exchanged nods while I gathered myself.
“Nice to meet you, Nic. Are you a student here?”
“No.” Nic slapped his hand down on my backpack. “Justin has the brains in the family. I usually work a lot and thought I’d spend the morning with him and let him show me around the campus. Plus, I thought it would help him look like he has a friend,” Nic teased. I wanted him to stop talking and revealing more evidence that I was a dork without friends.
I held the flier up. Maybe if Professor Grant saw that I was genuinely interested in making a career out of biomedical sciences, he wouldn’t treat me as the punk nineteen-year-old that it felt like he took me for.
“How do I sign up for the knowledge assessment?” I came right out and asked.
Grant turned his head sideways a bit and seemed surprised that I was inquiring about it.
“The knowledge assessment is scheduled for next weekend. It runs from eight a.m. to five p.m. You can arrive during that time frame for the exam. It consists of ten questions and should take a proficient student about a half hour to complete.” He paused briefly and then added, “I suggest you allow an hour.”
Dick.
I despised this guy, but I realized there were going to be people I wasn’t going to like but I was going to have to work with. Wisely, I decided not to act as though I was offended by him suggesting I allow double the time the other students should allot.
“How quickly do the results come back?”
“The exam results will be ready the following Monday.”
