What career or personal update would you like to give to your fellow Florida Tech Panthers alumni?
After graduating from Florida Tech, I took on a Product Engineering position at a Florida-based start up company founded by one of my Florida Tech professors. After working in this position for 9 months, I decided to move on from the United States, moved to The Netherlands and took a gap year to ride out the uncertainties of the pandemic. After the gap year, I got enrolled to Delft University of Technology in The Netherlands to continue my higher education in Biomedical Engineering, with a specialization in Medical Devices. As my thesis project, I designed, developed, and implemented an experimental protocol capable of measuring microfluidic flow speeds in real-time inside a microfluidic organ-on-chip system using an advanced optical imaging system. Upon succesfully defending my thesis, I landed a Biomedical Engineer position at RiboPro - a company that produces cGMP grade mRNA with the aim of revolutionizing personalized medicine and swiftly tackling the next pandemic.
How did your time at Florida Tech help get you to where you are today?
The quality of education at Florida Tech was very high. From my perspective, the courses I took were broad and challenging but also had a lot of depth. We were educated on a lot of different concepts in great depth and detail. As a result, after graduating from Florida Tech, I left as a well rounded Biomedical Engineer capable of not only being a pure scientist capable of understanding and implementing cell biology, but also an engineer capable of manufacturing and producing products. All the transferrable skills I learnt through Florida Tech supplemented my time during my higher education and those skills continue to grow and get transferred to my current position.
What is your favorite Florida Tech memory?
One of my most memorable times at Florida Tech was to roam through the botanical gardens, hang my hammock and unwind. Especially during my first years, the botanical gardens was a place where I spent time with the friends who ended up becoming the people who are closest to me to this day.
Was there a mentor or professor who had a big impact on you personally and/or professionally?
By far my biggest mentor at Florida Tech was Dr. James Brenner. He supported me throughout my entire time at Florida Tech by giving strategic academic advice so that I can reach my full potential through my courses. In addition, he helped me recognize my strengths as a biomedical engineer and gave me opportunities through his courses to apply and hone my strengths while working on my weaknesses. Finally, he offered me a product engineering position upon graduation where I got to further apply my skills and gain professional experience.
Please share any advice you have for current Florida Tech students.
My biggest advice is to take your Freshman year seriously. Through experience and observations, I noticed that the transfer rate after the first year was very high at Florida Tech. If there was one thing that I could change, that would be to take my first year more seriously. Understandably this is a transitory period for many and there's a lot to experience and do. Having those experiences while staying on top of your studies is definitely doable and will set you up in a better place for the upcoming years where you can do and experience even more.
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