Working in the medical field has been Sean’s dream since he can remember. In fact, when he was in sixth grade his dream was to be a surgeon. With aspirations like this, Sean knew that he needed to find a school with “smaller class sizes, a great biology program, and the ability to gain real-world skills and knowledge.”
Upon coming to STAC, Sean immediately took to the community-like atmosphere of the campus and truly enjoyed “being able to develop and build relationships with professors.” After taking his first biology class, he knew he had made the right decision.
“I really enjoy lab because it allows us to not only study what we are learning but also to practice and apply different skills. I feel the hands-on learning that lab provides is helpful in terms of utilizing skills and integrating them into real-world scenarios.”
This hands-on learning has certainly proved helpful for Sean both inside and outside the classroom. Not only is he the Co-Organizer of STAC’s Annual Earth Day Campaign, but earlier this year, he completed his internship at Pfizer. While there, Sean was an Assistant to the Principal Scientist in an Oncology Lab and was responsible for executing different laboratory experiments including Trypsinization, Western Blot, and Tumor Cell Isolation & Purification.
Besides his internship opportunity, Sean also completed a three-year research program that studied the effects of particulate matter on rescue workers exposed during 9/11. Mentored by Dr. Lance Siegel, this research project was particularly special since many resources were used over the course of three years, including the databases at New York University.
With all of this experience, it is hard to believe that Sean is about to start his junior year. Not only does he plan to finish his college career as strong as he started, he also plans on attending medical school upon graduating in May 2022. His love for biology really stems from his “passion to help others and learn all that I can about the human body and how it functions.”
Sean’s advice for future students? “Do not give up just because it’s challenging. Chose something that you are passionate about and look to build relationships with your professors and seek their advice.”
In his free time, Sean likes to watch football, and baseball, play with his four dogs, travel, and watch his favorite tv show, Seinfeld.