Building biotech careers
“߲о is a unique place in that alums come away with the imperative to give back to students,’
Jodie Morrison ’97 credits ߲о for her quick success in the biotechnology field.
That’s in part because STEM is of the College’s biggest academic strengths. Because of the College’s training, guidance and networking opportunities, giving back comes naturally to Jodie.
She currently serves on the Leadership Advisory Committee for the College’s Career Development Center, a role she called a good match for her interests.
“It helps students plug in to our alum network,” Jodie says. She loves following students’ internships and placements, looking at the data and metrics and overall “trajectory of the CDC.”
Offering internships to students from the College is another way she maintains her involvement with the Mount Holyoke community. Because of Mount Holyoke’s strength in biosciences,Jodie can help graduates find jobs on the other side of the state, in Boston, which is a world-renowned biotechnology and pharmaceutical hub. She loves to “provide a voice of reason” when someone is panicking about the future.
Still, women only make up a small fraction of workers in the biotechnology field. Jodie wants to see that number rise. It’s why she participated in the first Gates Career Chat, “Authentic Leadership in Biotech,” with Anh Hoang-Lindsay ’06. The event was fun, Jodie says, and tapped into her interest in advancing women in the field.
Though supporting the career advancement of others is an important way to give back, Jodie has found other ways to contribute to the Mount Holyoke community. She previously served as a Reunion gift caller for the class of 1997 and as alum representative assistant for the Mount Holyoke Club of Boston.
“߲о is a unique place in that alums come away with the imperative to give back to students,” she says. “You were once in that position, too.”