Ariana

I completed undergrad during the COVID-19 pandemic, a time filled with uncertainty, but I felt confident beginning the Biotechnology & Entrepreneurship program at NYU Tandon. I entered with an interest in stem cell research and graduated with a passion for drug development and clinical research.

Through hands-on lab work, innovative projects, and the guidance of some excellent professors, I achieved the goal I had outlined in my application to the program: to work at a biotech startup. Just weeks before graduation, I accepted a role as a research assistant in protein engineering, applying the very skills I had developed in the program. That experience gave me insight into the inner workings of a startup, from forging partnerships with major pharmaceutical companies to navigating investor funding, and allowed me to draw on both the scientific and business training the program provided.

Since then, I have transitioned back into academic research, from NYU Langone to a world- renowned cancer center. Along the way, I realized that I am not done yet — my experiences have inspired me to continue my education so that I can apply my background in biotechnology more directly to patient care. NYU Tandon’s program was instrumental in opening these opportunities, and it remains a foundation for the path I am pursuing today.