Name: Elena J.
Hometown: Andover, MA
Major(s): Chemical and Biological Engineering
Minor(s): Classics
Current job: PhD student, Tufts University
Any internships/pre-professional experiences at JHU? 6-month co-op at genzyme (biotech), a summer internship at Navartis (engineering), and on-campus research funded by the National Science Foundation.
What extracurriculars were you involved with at JHU? VP of American Institute of Chemical Engineers Club and Society for Biological Engineering, Executive Council of Hopkins Hosting Society, Engineering Ambassador Research in Micheal Betenbaugh’s lab on main campus and at the medical school, and the Tutorial Project.
In what ways did your Hopkins education prepare you for your career? The rigor of classes at Hopkins prepared me super well for graduate classes. The hands-on research gave me the skills and publications I needed to get an internship and co-op and to get into graduate school and receive fellowships.
Any classes, faculty members, or involvements at JHU that helped to shape your career interest? Undergraduate research helped me realize that I wanted to attend graduate school to work in industry as a research and development engineer. Also many of my Hopkins professors made very difficult subjects easier to understand.
Favorite Hopkins memory: Disney watch party while eating perogis with my freshman year hall.
What about being a Hopkins student do you miss the most? Being surrounded by people who inspire me and share their passion with others.
How did going to school in Baltimore affect your college experience and opportunities for pre-professional experiences? The free buses made it easy to explore the city and gave me an appreciation for the community in which I lived with in each part of town: Hampden, Mt Vernon, Fed Hill, Fell’s Point, Charles Village, Inner Harbor, and downtown having its own personality.
Knowing what you know now, what would you want to tell your pre-college self? Take classes that interest me and seize every opportunity to try new experiences, like learning belly dancing.