A groundbreaking partnership between Westminster Public Schools and the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus is giving students and teachers a hands-on role in the fight against cancer.

On Tuesday, August 26, the Westminster Public Schools Board of Education heard a presentation about the START (Students and Teachers Achieving Research Together) pilot program. This summer internship paired two Westminster High School students and their teacher with leading cancer researchers.

The summer program provided a formal research experience in the CU Anschutz cancer research labs. The pilot cohort included students Leslie Vargas Cabrera and Rogelio Lopez Beltran, both 2025 graduates of Westminster High School and Ranum Innovation Campus teacher Scott Troy.

The team worked closely with clinicians from the Department of Neurosurgery in researching chordoma, a rare and aggressive cancer of the skull base and spine. The group investigated how tumor cells communicate with the immune system with the hope of contributing to improved treatments. At the end of the program, the interns presented their findings at a CU Anschutz research poster session.

For both students, the internship was transformative.

“This program opened my eyes to a whole new world of cancer research. I would highly recommend it to future students because it not only prepares them for careers in science but also gives teachers new tools to bring back to their classrooms,” said Leslie Vargas Cabrera.

Rogelio Lopez Beltran echoed that enthusiasm.

“I got to dive into cancer research hands-on and really understood how challenging and exciting this field is,” he said. “It confirmed that I want to pursue science as a career. It’s an amazing opportunity.”

Troy, who runs the Ranum Innovation Campus’s biotechnology program said the project exceeded all his expectations. “It wasn’t simulated or ‘stand to the side and watch,’ it was very much ‘do the actual research,’” he told the board. 

The START pilot program was made possible through a grant recently approved to expand the initiative across the Denver Metro area. In the future, more schools and teachers will have the chance to join CU Anschutz researchers in tackling some of the most pressing medical challenges of our time.