Sheldon High School
BIOTECH ACADEMY
A Distinguished California Partnership Academy
Alumni Spotlight
The Biotech Academy is proud of the students who underwent through our program and gone to do many amazing things. Our alumni are continuing their journey to make an impact in the world of science and beyond! In this section, we will ask some recent alumni, who are attending universities and loved to be featured here, to answer to this question: How did the Biotech Academy prepare you for your future and life in the real world?
Shaylyn Carthen
Year of Graduation: 2024
School/University Attending: UCLA
Major(s): Microbiology, Immunology, and Molecular Biology
Intended Career Path: Biotech Entrepreneurship
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​"Being a part of the Biotech Academy allowed me to have an amazing support system of both students and teachers who pushed me to challenge myself and explore what genuinely interested me in science! As co-president and public relations on the Biotech Officer Board, I learned valuable leadership and communication skills that I will utilize throughout college and in industry."
Jia Li Zhou
Year of Graduation: 2024
School/University Attending: Johns Hopkins University
Major(s): Molecular and Cellular Biology and Psychology
Intended Career Path: MD
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​"The Biotech Academy prepared me very well for my future and for life in the real world by providing robust opportunities for personal and career growth all throughout highschool. The Biotech-specific classes we took each year thoroughly prepared me very well for my major's college coursework as they were all very relevant, ensuring that I did not lag behind. As Hopkins is primarily a research institute, the lab skills taught by Ms. Wagner during my senior year in Molec helped me land my first ever research position with a genetics lab! I've also made some of the best bonds with my teachers in Biotech!
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Aside from academics, Biotech really supported my professional life through curated resume building sessions and presentations. During the beginning of freshman year, I looked back to my resume lots as a references! Every year, Biotech makes you present a journal article which really improved my public speaking skills Every time I get nervous for a presentation, I'll always remember my friend's and my own journal article presentation in Mr. Brennan's class as a sophomore.
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Biotech was not only just a stepping stone for the future, it was a place where I made amazing memories with my teachers and friends. Thank you Biotech!"
James Ho
Year of Graduation: 2024
School/University Attending: Stanford
Major(s): Physics
Intended Career Path: Teacher/Professor
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​"I feel like Biotech at Sheldon is a really special place and captures a lot of my love for the things I do in college today. I think it always goes back to the people. Mr. Brennan has so much to say about where he's from and his family. I love Sheldon Biotech Academy because the students and teachers have perspective.
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They're people that enjoy science or want to be part of contributing stuff that helps people, but they aren't just wanting to help their community. I think about the diversity of our school, because so much of ethnic or class identity, it can be really difficult for people to navigate. I know for me that being connected to my family and Vietnamese identity has been hard. I think there's a lot of generational and historical divides, sacrifices, and stories that get left unsaid but I think the way to heal is to understand each other. It's beautiful the way people in Sheldon Biotech come from so many diverse backgrounds and think about the small ways to reconnect with their identity through science with our projects and presentations. And yet at the same time we learn so many skills that I use all the time today.
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It brings me a lot of hope with how the people in Sheldon Biotech want to advance and contribute to science in a sense that's in touch with identity and with society. We're a diverse community who understands each other and is in solidarity against the world's struggles, and the teachers are encouraging of teaching us the skills to navigate the word of science and put ourselves out there. My background is something I always turn back to today. Both as a person who can talk at length about Biology and understand it in connection to ourselves. I believe biology is the most important science to be familiar at because it really affects us.
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It's beautiful how the diversity of biotech students motivates people and brings them together. Teachers care about giving us the tools to deliver care to the world. But literally everything about the research process they teach us applies. When I think of the community of science today, this is what I think of and what gives me hope."
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Where do Our Students go?
After graduating our Biotech Students have entered in some of the following fields.
Physician
Registered Nurse
Researcher in Psychology
Pharmacist
Biotech Alumni
Data Scientist
Science Teacher
Forensic Analyst
Veterinarian
Industrial Hygienist
Doctor
Chemist
Civil Engineer