Hi! My name is Jessi and I am graduate student at the University of Miami. Right now, I am beginning my second year and pursuing a PhD in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology. Before this, I studied Materials Science & Engineering and Biomedical Engineering at Cornell University.
How I first Became Interested in Engineering
I first became interested in engineering during my junior year of high school. I had always known I wanted to study something in science, but my favorite classes were always my math classes. I discussed with my friends and family, and ultimately decided that the most interesting way for me to continue enjoying math was by studying engineering. That, as it turns out, was the easiest part of the decision. I discovered during my first year of college how difficult it was to pick what type of engineering I wanted to do.
How I landed in Biomedical Engineering
At Cornell, all engineers are undecided during their first year. Even if students already know what they want to study, by spending this first year unaffiliated it allows all students to explore different fields and learn what they want to do. This was especially useful for me because I had no idea what I wanted to focus on. By the end of my first year, I had I decided to major in Materials Science and minor in Biomedical Engineering.
I came to this decision by discovering a class I loved and by finding research I found really interesting. These two things became a major aspect of my college career. The course was an introductory nanoscience and nanoengineering class. The research was Professor Uli Wiesner’s work with silica nanoparticles.
The course exposed me to the principles of nanoscience and involved a really cool lab section where we got hands on experience with different types of synthesis and imaging methods. I loved the material so much that I was a TA for the course for 5 semesters. I found a love of teaching and mentoring, and I found a new way to interact with learning and academics. I enjoyed teaching students the course material as much as I enjoyed sharing my experiences and challenges, and helping them to make the most of their first years.
The Hurdles of College
There were a lot of challenges throughout my undergraduate years. Adjusting to college and being far from home for the first time was difficult, as was managing heavy course loads and trying to learn totally new material. There was also a lot of support, but the greatest support was in my friends. I had my friends outside of my major who supported me by showing me love and compassion, and my friends within my major who not only did that but also helped me learn. I found there was a huge benefit in creating support networks and finding mentors early on. I tried to promote that with younger students through my TA job, by becoming an RA, and by becoming involved in academic societies. I helped found a peer advising program in the Society of Physics Students that impacted hundreds of students, and I took on a leadership role in the Cornell Materials Society. I had learned that college could be really difficult without people to support you, and I made it my goal to find support for as many students as possible.
Research Defined my Career Goals
Research was a really important aspect to help me decide what I wanted to do post-graduation. My research exposed me to the type of work I wanted to continue doing for my career. In professor Wiesner’s lab, I worked under a graduate student mentor on medicinal silica nanoparticles. I learned a lot about designing experiments as well as new synthesis and characterization techniques. More importantly, I learned that I really enjoyed research that had medical applications. I had been surrounded by medicine growing up, but I was never interested in becoming a doctor. In high school, I was the one who had to leave the room during dissections. This lab showed me there were ways that I could still make an impact in the medical field without having to come to face to face with the things that made me uncomfortable. My future career goals are to work in pharmaceutics on the discovery and development of medicines.
In order to follow this path, I decided to pursue a graduate degree in biochemistry and molecular biology. This was a bit of a big change considering my undergraduate studies. But I knew that this would allow me to learn more about how the human body at the molecular level and give me the background I needed to pursue a career in drug design. To further pursue this, I am doing an internship at Eli Lilly & Co this fall with their Molecular Innovation Hub. Here I will gain even more experience in the area and learn more about doing research for industry.
Importance of Support Networks
I have been able to continue my desire to build support networks at the University of Miami. I helped found a graduate student government in my department with the goal of providing educational, outreach, and social opportunities to my peers and helping them to build a support network with each other. I did this not only to help them, but also to help myself. I get to be a part of this great network and get the support of all of my peers. To incorporate this into my career plan, no matter where I end up working, I want to participate in outreach at local schools and universities.
Although I have made a huge change in my academic focus to reach my career goals, I have been able to succeed thanks to the support I have built for myself. The greatest takeaway I’ve had throughout my journey is that it is extremely difficult to get where you want to go without taking care of yourself. I found out that I can change my studies to a brand-new field and still excel. I found out I love plants and have been growing a garden on my balcony. But most importantly, I have found amazing friends who teach me new things and are there for me when I need help.
Future Steps to my Dream Career
Following graduation, I want to apply my background in materials engineering and biochemistry and work for a pharmaceutical company. My ultimate goal will be to design a drug or medicine that makes it through clinical trials and to the market. I think seeing that something I created helped improve somebody’s quality of life would be the most rewarding aspect of my career.
You can reach me on my LinkedIn: Jessi Hersh
