1. December 19, 2015
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Media Contact:
Gabriela Ramos-Mata
Gabriela.M.RamosMata@lonestar.edu
Former LSC-Montgomery Student Gets Hands-on Opportunity with Summer
Medical Program
CONROE (December 19, 2015) – 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).
“Right then and there, one of the residents who had been massaging the heart asked if I wanted
to learn how to massage it, and without hesitation I said “yes”,” said Gagneux, when talking
about what she claims has been the best experience of her life.
Gagneux always seemed to be ahead of the game, having over 600 volunteer hours at
Memorial Hermann Hospital in The Woodlands before she even graduated from The Woodlands
High School in 2012. After graduation, she immediately enrolled at LSC-Montgomery, with the
goal to transfer to the University of Houston in pursuit of a biomedical engineering degree.
“My experience at LSC-Montgomery was incredible,” Gagneux said. “My classes were small
and interesting, and the professors were great.” Her positive experience at LSC-Montgomery is

2. what inspired her to stay one more year and pursue an associate’s degree before transferring to
the University of Houston.
During her time at LSC-Montgomery, Gagneux took numerous themed classes that allowed her
to think outside-of-the-box. LSC-Montgomery English professor, and now academic dean, Dr.
Brandy Harvey, helped push Gagneux to her full potential, becoming her mentor and
encouraging her to enter a project in the Communications Across the Curriculum (CAC) student
conference.
With the help of her many educational projects, as well as her membership in the UH Honors
College, Gagneux’s impressive resume was exactly what she needed to be accepted into the
competitive Michael DeBakey Summer Surgery Program.
The eight-week program exposes well-qualified undergraduate students with an interest in
medicine to the hospital environment and gives them the opportunity to actively participate in
the surgical team’s daily schedules.
“I’m lucky because this is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity that I got just for being in the right
place at the right time,” Gagneux said, humble and confident that her experiences have been
unique.
Summer internships often help reinforce a student’s decision to pursue a particular degree, and
when asked how her experiences have impacted her career choice, Gagneux simply replied,
“The DeBakey Summer Surgery Program has only solidified my decision to go to medical
school and pursue a career in surgery.”
LSC-Montgomery is located at 3200 College Park Drive, one-half mile west of Interstate 45,
between Conroe and The Woodlands. For more information about the college, call (936) 273-
7000, or visit www.LoneStar.edu/montgomery.
Lone Star College System has been opening doors to a better community for more than 40
years. Founded in 1973, LSCS remains steadfast in its commitment to student success and
credential completion. Today, with 78,000 students in credit classes, and a total enrollment of
more than 90,000, Lone Star College System is the largest institution of higher education in the

3. Houston area and one of the fastest-growing community college systems in the nation. Dr.
Steve Head is the chancellor of LSCS, which consists of six colleges including LSC-CyFair,
LSC-Kingwood, LSC-Montgomery, LSC-North Harris, LSC-Tomball and LSC-University Park,
seven centers, LSC-University Center at Montgomery, LSC-University Center at University
Park, Lone Star Corporate College, and LSC-Online. To learn more visit LoneStar.edu.
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