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Malden High students learn there are many paths to a career in the STEM Industry

Panel presents personal insight, advice for students who may be pursuing career in Sciences, Tech industry

By Steve Freker

Brian Madrigal was facing some of life’s most serious challenges – no job, not enough to eat and no roof over his head – all at the same time, all as a budding college student who had not even reached his 20th birthday. Just a few years later, he was sitting on a panel of four representatives of the STEM industry who on Wednesday this week delivered an illuminating presentation on their paths to Malden High School students from science, technology and mathematics classes.

He was joined by three other panelists, one of whom was Jahziel Chase, who is a Ph.D. Candidate at Northeastern University in the Department of Chemistry & Chemical Biology/Biopharmaceutical Analysis. Chase got his start as a community college student, yearning to learn and excel in the STEM industry and hoping to get there “through hard work and commitment to the resources available to [him] along the way.”

The acronym “STEM” represents Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics – four key disciplines that help all who follow them achieve innovation and deeper insights into the world around us.

About 50 students participated in the panel discussion session, in which all four panelists described how they became interested in the STEM industry and how they arrived at destinations where they are achieving some of their biggest goals. The presentation/panel discussion was coordinated and hosted by the Malden Public Schools Guidance Department, through MassHire. MassHire is the brand name for the Massachusetts Workforce System, which connects job seekers with businesses and offers career services. It is an agency overseen by the Commonwealth of Massachusetts that partners with dozens of high schools in the state, including Malden High School.

“Our partnership with MassHire continues to be a valuable one for our students,” said Erin Craven, Malden Public Schools Director of Guidance, who works closely with her staff and MassHire on a year-round basis. She and MHS Guidance Counselor Tara Gabbay were point persons on the coordination of the event. “This was an excellent presentation which our students could really relate to, since the stories the panelists delivered were real-life situations.”

Wednesday’s panelists:

—Brian Madrigal from Lab Central and a member of the Mass. STEM Advisory Board, focusing on Biotech and inclusion in that industry

—Annie Spangenberger, Ecologist at Interfluve (mission to heal aquatic ecosystems through applied science and engineering), based in Cambridge, Mass.

—Liam Tait, a Volunteer Community Engagement Specialist from the New England Aquarium

—Jahziel Chase, Ph.D. Candidate at Northeastern University, Department of Chemistry & Chemical Biology/Biopharmaceutical Analysis

Chase – soon to be called “Dr. Chase” – told the students it was a long road and uncertain at times, but all worthwhile when it led to his achieving a lot of his initial goals. These days, Chase explained, lots of time is spent assisting with the supervision of other Northeastern students, many of them being master’s degree candidates.

Tait revealed a lot of the daily routines of the over 250 full-time and part-time employees of the New England Aquarium, including about two dozen Research Scientists whose primary job includes research work outside the Boston facility – out on the Atlantic Ocean nearby or in other locales around the nation. He also told of the daily care of the over 2,000 animals – which he referred to as “individuals” – “they each get quarterly checkups, more than most humans,” Tait said.

“It was a tremendous presentation, the details in the panelists’ stories really resonated with our students,” Craven said. “We are very grateful for time and for our continuing collaborative partnership with MassHire, which is so beneficial to the Malden Public Schools district.”