St. Louis Community College and the Donald Danforth Plant Science Center have developed a program that paves the way for high school students to enter the biotechnology field.
EMBARK is a dual credit/dual enrollment program that enables high school students to earn a life science lab assistant certificate by high school graduation. Students who graduate from the program are prepared for work in bioscience laboratories and are well positioned to continue studies to complete bioscience and biotechnology two- and four-year degrees.
“The LSLA certificate is designed to give anyone with an interest in biotechnology an entry point into this field. I love that EMBARK will allow even high schoolers the opportunity to explore biotechnology career pathways,” said Keri Janssen, assistant professor of biological science at STLCC-Florissant Valley. “My role as an educator is important not only to teach basic lab skills, but also to show students what potential career options they have. Many students do not see themselves working in a laboratory, so showing them that this type of career is accessible to them is significant."
The program is open to high school sophomores, juniors and seniors who meet eligibility requirements.
Through EMBARK, students can:
- Earn the life science lab assistant certificate while in high school.
- Receive reduced tuition rates.
- Gain access to the Center for Plant and Life Sciences’ lab facilities housed in BRDG Park and other state-of-the-art equipment.
- Receive placement assistance for a laboratory and/or biotechnology internship.
- Experience a seamless continuation into STLCC’s biotechnology associate degree program.
- Take advantage of the STLCC/University of Missouri-St. Louis transfer agreement to earn a four-year degree.
Sreehitha “Siri” Anugu, 18, completed the inaugural program in May. The Parkway West High School graduate, who was born in India, has dreamed of working in a science lab since she was a child.
“I was very excited to finish the last of my courses and graduate with an LSLA certificate. I didn't think I could make much progress toward my career until well into college, but this experience has given me more confidence in my skills and knowledge to work in biotech in the future,” Anugu said.
“I got to learn about the real-life applications of the theories I learned about in high school and have first-hand experience in how research and development progress in an actual lab,” she added. “I feel less blind about going into my future job and feel a lot more prepared.”
Janssen described Anugu as a great student who was highly motivated and driven.
“Even though Siri was the youngest person in the class, her peers went to her for clarification and guidance when doing lab work. She was a model student to kick off the EMBARK program,” Janssen said.
This summer, Anugu is putting her lab skills to work as an intern at RevivBio, a synthetic biology company focused on novel pesticides and environmental applications. This fall, she will study biochemistry at Stony Brook University in New York. After graduation, Anugu hopes to work in pharmaceuticals or health diagnostics.
“Reading about what biotechnology is and actually experiencing the work yourself are very different experiences, and I am glad to have had the chance to train and see if the area of study is actually what I wanted to go into,” Anugu said. “I love how methodical lab work is. Each step has a reason, and everything has a logical order. My favorite lab was electrophoresis, which is used to separate DNA by size. But it really surprised me how meticulous the process of recording all your research can be.”
Learn more at stlcc.edu.
St. Louis Community College has served more than 1.3 million students since 1962. More than 50% of households in the area are represented by our former and current students. STLCC firmly believes that education has the power to lift us up – as individuals, as communities and as a city.
