Bioprocessing & Biomedical Engineering Pathway Passions Unlocked at Uxbridge High

Today our monthly BV Hub 20/40 Speaker Series was held at the library of Uxbridge High School. Between both students and administrators, this session impacted nearly 100 people who participated either in-person or remotely. Appropriate for February, both speakers came into this conversation with open hearts and left students with a strong sense of the passion one can find in their profession.

Based on a suggestion from Dave Moura, Dean of Students and Internship Coordinator at Uxbridge, we sought February career speakers with backgrounds in biomedical engineering. After connecting with the Senior Director of Human Resources for the Waltham based organization, Repligen Corporation, we found not one, but two of our speakers from the same team! According to their website, Repligen's mission is to inspire advances in bioprocessing as a trusted partner in the production of biologic drugs that improve human health worldwide.

To read the full biographies of our 20/40 Speakers from Repligen, Mariel M. Ulichney (Director of Quality) and Taylor Mannette (Quality Associate II), please visit our earlier blog. This was our first speaker pair from the same company, which seemed to lend itself towards an especially honest discussion. At the end of the session, an UHS student asked the speakers, "What helped you figure out what you want to do?" The responses were unfiltered. Here is a small portion of what Mariel shared,

"In full transparency, I started working in engineering roles, I started working the R & D roles and ya know, honestly, I didn't like being told what to do. So that prompted me to become a project manager. [...] I had a knack for people management. And that put me on a trajectory to be a leader in an organization. I was a bit of a rebel, I guess!" - Mariel M. Ulichney

I would describe Mariel & Taylor as positive role models. This was evident, when the official session ended and a handful of students made a semi-circle around the speakers to ask additional questions. They stayed late to make sure every student was heard and received digestible feedback. From my perspective, each student left with a more specific picture of what a career pathway in biomedical engineering could look like for them.

Thank you, Mariel Ulichney, Taylor Mannette, Dotty Georgiopoulos, Uxbridge High School, and Dave Moura, along with the participating districts: Grafton High School, Nipmuc High School, Northbridge High School, and Sutton High School. To access links to a free recording of the event along with a pdf of the accompanying slideshow contact barrett.lauren@bvhub.org.

Our BV Hub 20/40 Speaker Series’ objective is to engage and inform students along with school staff about future career pathway trajectories. We also aim to highlight New England-based companies and training programs. We want to help students see themselves in the workforce, provide career awareness, and fulfill our goals for Partnered Schools along with the Connecting Activities program.

Tune in next month when our BV Hub 20/40 Speaker Series heads to Milford High School on Thursday, March 12 at 10AM for a conversation centered on "Entrepreneurship."