Students Gain Crucial Insights on Diversity in Biotech Industry From Regeneron Pharmaceuticals
Volunteers from Regeneron Pharmaceuticals (wearing white t-shirts) visited Mercy University's Westchester Campus to meet with students as part of the company’s “Day for Doing Good,” a global initiative for employees to give back to their respective local communities.
On October 20, a group of 16 enthusiastic volunteers from Regeneron Pharmaceuticals visited Mercy’s Westchester Campus to meet with students and provide unique insights into the wide-range of potential career paths open to future scientists.
The event, made possible through the collaborative efforts of Regeneron, Mercy University’s Office of Career and Professional Development and Volunteer New York, was part of the Tarrytown-based company’s “Day for Doing Good,” a global initiative for employees to give back to their respective local communities. This is the third consecutive year Mercy participated.
“There are so many career paths you can pursue as a scientist, and this event opened up new ideas for our students,” said Sara Shepherd ’08, M.S. ’15, director of employer relations. “We’re grateful to Volunteer New York for approaching us with this opportunity, and to Regeneron for providing the volunteers who helped make ‘Day for Doing Good’ at Mercy such a successful, rewarding event. We’re especially thankful for the efforts of Dr. Renee Haskew-Layton and other members of the School of Health and Natural Sciences who worked closely with us in hosting this event.”
“Supporting the next generation of scientific professionals is a key component of Regeneron’s commitment to social responsibility,” said Pamela Krueger, director of Research Pharmacokinetics at Regeneron, who helped organize and prepare the volunteers.
Participants were divided into groups based on their job roles: lab-based scientists; scientific team managers and directors; and those with non-lab roles at Regeneron. Each group spoke about their career paths that led to their current roles, and answered questions from the students. The students had an opportunity to ask about specific areas of biomedical research, and to learn about the breadth of scientific career paths within Regeneron. A networking component was also introduced this year to help students build social capital.
“The Mercy students came well prepared and asked great questions,” said Krueger. “Even as volunteers, we all got a lot out of the experience. I think everyone can benefit from giving back, and hopefully this will inspire even more people to participate in the future. It certainly inspired me.”
Regeneron’s “Day for Doing Good” provided Mercy students with a unique opportunity to connect with industry experts, gain valuable insights and build lasting connections that aim to shape their future careers.