From May to August, I interned full time with Regeneron at the Rensselaer, NY location. This location is home to Industrial Operations and Product Supply, where I was a member of the Process Sciences Upstream Investigations Lab. Over the course of 10 weeks, I received guidance from my mentor Andrew Parnes as I navigated my own individual project which eventually cumulated in an end-of-the-year poster presentation. This project involved hard skills such as mammalian cell culture and data analysis, as well as soft skills like collaboration and time management. In conjunction with this intern project, I had the opportunity to explore other opportunities in the pharmaceutical industry, such as research and development, mid- and large-scale manufacturing, and quality control. I’m extremely grateful for the opportunity I had as an intern at Regeneron, and for all of the people I was able to meet.

I was surprised to learn just how regulated the pharmaceutical industry is. Though it is undoubtedly a good thing, if I had not been involved with pharma, I would have never understood how medicine makes its way to the shelves and into the hands of the patient.

After concluding my internship with Regeneron, I have continued to perform cell biology research in the Castaneda Lab at SU, and I am considering returning for a second internship in Summer 2024. After obtaining my undergraduate degrees in Biochemistry and Psychology from SU, I hope to further my education at Physician’s Assistant school, where I will continue to put patients first always, just as Regeneron does.