The 7th annual Biology Alumni Panel brought alumni and students together in the McMichael Science Center on Friday to give current biology majors an opportunity to ask questions about future career possibilities.
By Brittany Barker ‘19
Four graduates of Elon University’s biology program discussed their collegiate experiences and their current careers on Friday as part of a Homecoming panel discussion hosted by Beta Beta Beta National Biological Honor Society.
Alumni included Kelly Allen ‘14, who today helps conduct research at UNC Chapel Hill; Kristin West ‘09, a microbiologist for an agricultural biotech company; Brittany White ’12, who has gone into nursing; and Steve Greenberg ’11, who is attending medical school at Wake Forest University.
Moderated by BBB president Paige Stover, students asked panelists about career opportunities that panelists have explored while alumni questioned which Elon classes were the most memorable. Panelists said they either attended medical school, graduate school or had entered the workforce following their graduation.
“As long as you don’t go home and do nothing right after graduating, you’ll be okay and find your own success,” White said.
Panelists said they most valued undergraduate classes specific to their profession, such as neuroscience or microbiology. They also emphasized the importance of community and confidence gained from their undergraduate studies.
“I was really unsure about what I wanted to do by the time I got to my senior year,” Allen said. “I applied for a job in teaching and for a job as a lab technician.”
Panelists said they value skills obtained at Elon, and all of them said the relationships forged on campus were what made them successful later in life.
Associate Professor Antonio Izzo, chair of the Department of Biology, has helped to organize the event for several years and described it as one of his department’s most highly anticipated annual events.
This panel discussion helps biology students recognize career opportunities that are available to them following graduation. “Just about every year we see one audience member’s eyes pop open with the discovery of a new option that they had never heard of before,” Izzo said.