YWIB and BioNexus Collaborate for Outreach Activity at Woodlawn High School, December 12, 2023

On December 12, 2023, BioNexus and YWIB-Capital Region conducted a collaborative outreach program on medical career pathways at Woodlawn High School where students from Project Lead the Way (PLTW) Biomedical Sciences Program recently had a wonderful opportunity to learn about careers in medicine. BioNexus, a company committed to empowering the biosciences workforce, collaborated with YWIB to conduct an informative session. Over 30 students actively engaged with professionals from the scientific realm, participating in hands-on experiments and posing insightful follow-up questions.

Ms. Asha Rajmani, the science department chair and biology teacher, was really excited about the wealth of career opportunities shared with her students. Amrita Madabushi, the founder of BioNexus, led the session, sharing her journey as a biotechnology educator and leading hands-on activity at the event. Aiswariya Chidambaram, Account Director at Indegene, a life sciences consulting company, and Lisa Pitt, Head of Regulatory Affairs at NorthSea Therapeutics, leaders of the YWIB Committee, discussed their career paths. They highlighted the resources available to students as YWIB members, volunteers, and ambassadors.

The highlight of the event was the two guest speakers who are current MD PhD students. Jackline Lasola, nearing the completion of her program at the University of Maryland, shared her inspirational journey of overcoming various challenges and pursuing her dream of making a significant impact on human health. She will soon graduate and embark on her residency in obstetrics and gynecology. Tolulope Awosika, an MD PhD student at Johns Hopkins University, shared that he chose this path while studying bioengineering at the University of Maryland College Park. His commitment to finding cures and making a difference in healthcare has been the driving force behind his career trajectory. MiVida Parham, CTE supervisor of Technical programs at Baltimore County Public Schools, stated that this type of info session is the need of the hour and should be held in more Baltimore County schools to inform and prepare students to think about their educational and career pathways. It was a great panel of diverse healthcare occupations, backgrounds, and pathways to their success. Students left wonderful feedback at the end of the session, and one of them summarized, ”The session taught us a lot about the education process in getting an MD/PhD. It also opened our eyes to know about other speaker’s life paths and that there isn’t just one way to succeed.”