BioE Student Spotlight: Alexis Kelerchian
Name:
Alexis Kelerchian
Where are you from/where is your hometown?
Bucks County, PA
What degree type are you pursuing?
BS Bioengineering
What is your specialization, OR, do you have any other majors/minors?
Pharmaceutical track
Are you involved in any bioengineering related organizations (both inside or outside of Lehigh)? If so, please specify.
Clare Boothe Luce Research Scholar in The Chow Lab, Rossin Junior Fellow
Why did you decide to come to Lehigh University?
I was looking for a university with a prestigious and rigorous engineering program as well as a wealth of professional opportunities for undergraduate students - internships, fellowships, research, etc. I wanted to go to a school that would prepare me technically and scholastically for a career in bioengineering but also have opportunities to pursue my interests and passions outside of the classroom, like art and design and playing volleyball. Lehigh has checked all my boxes and more!
Why did you decide to study bioengineering?
In high school, I was performed well in all the standard subjects, but I especially liked the challenge of studying math, chemistry, and biology. My junior year, I had to write a 3-page research paper about regenerative medicine and tissue engineering for my ethics class, and I wrote 11 pages! I fell in love with the research and exploring innovative biotechnological solutions to modern medical problems, and I decided to study bioengineering so that I may one day contribute to those innovations myself.
What do you want to be/do after you graduate and how will this degree help you get there?
No idea! However, I do wish to work within/tangential to the biopharmaceutical sector on the East Coast, and I know my Lehigh education will give me the academic background and technical skills to secure top-notch employment opportunities in the bioengineering industry.
Share a good experience/memory with a faculty/staff member/peers/or class within bioengineering
Last semester, I took BIOE025 with Dr. Ines Seabra. I had never worked with SolidWorks before and, frankly, went into the class scared of the software, but Dr. Seabra was welcoming and made the course content accessible for modeling newbies. I spent many office hours with her learning new skills/tools, and I came to realize that I was excited and motivated to learn new things in the class! I have been an artist my whole life, and SolidWorks acted as a creative bridge between my artistic background and engineering studies. Dr. Seabra helped me recognize newfound interests within the greater bioengineering discipline and made me feel welcomed and included in the BioE department at Lehigh. Since I took the course, she has written many a letter of recommendation for me, and we have kept in touch ever since!
Share a fun fact (or two, or three) about yourself!
Fun fact: Every time I read a book, I mark its width on my door frame – I hope to one day read my height in books!
What words of wisdom do you have for current or future students of bioengineering at Lehigh?
Take notes from the textbook before lecture, go to lecture, do your homework, go to office hours, ask questions, study hard, and have fun. If you can believe it, the hardest point for me has been the last! It's easy to get into a routine of working all the time, 'round the clock, through meals and into the weekends, but you need to have fun too! Dinners should be eaten with friends, Friday nights should be spent doing something fun, and you can sleep in Sunday mornings and still get all your homework done!