Student Success Story: Elijah, Follow-Up
Read his original 2022 interview here.
A great part of working with young adults in the JOG program is seeing their growth over time. This is especially visible in our participants who joined us early in their academic careers. For Elijah, we’ve been able to document his “then and now,” as he was one of our first-ever Student Success Stories shared through our blog!
When we first interviewed Elijah, he was recently elected to his school’s Career Association as Coordinator of Social Awareness. In his new role, Elijah worked to put forward anti-bullying efforts in his school: “I want to help spread awareness of bullying and how to stop it. You don’t need to take your pain out on others. Choose your own path and help people.”
Elijah has been able to incorporate this mindset of helping others and a dedication to fixing problems into other facets of his life over time. He began learning academic skills through JOG and continued to try to find new ways to improve situations at work. This dedication to continuing to grow led him to a position working with engineering with polymers at Egan Polymer Research Lab.
In this position, he worked with his supervisor, Dr. Egan, to build a two-polymer heart valve. The purpose of this heart valve was to be able to continue regular blood flow without using organic matter. Once he and Dr. Egan were finally able to make a working version of the heart valve, they tested the prototype by implanting it into a pig. After a few months, the valve is still working! This project was presented during the Regional Science Day at Kent State University, where he earned a superior rating and went on to regionals in Cleveland.
The Regional Science Day also presented Elijah with opportunities to network with other organizations that were offering scholarships. This gave him the opportunity to connect with multiple companies interested in his technical skillset. One of these companies offered Elijah a scholarship to use this knowledge in whole new fields: semiconductors and microelectronics. Though he has no formal experience in these fields, he has expressed his excitement to use his technical skillset in this new opportunity. Elijah is very excited to graduate and get to work on this new opportunity at Kent State University!
Elijah credits JOG with helping him develop the skills he needed to head down this path. He said, “[JOG] has been able to teach me how to have a better mindset on problem-solving. Even when I run into problems, I have learned how to still get up and get it done. I have learned how to not get in over my head and set priorities.” He also expressed his gratitude towards Ms. Nicola of JOG and Dr. Egan at the Research Lab for taking the time to teach him the skills necessary to succeed in the future.
We are so proud of Elijah and the journey he took while in JOG. He has been able to spread his wings and soar to new academic and career heights! From his skills learned to his professional mindset, and everything in between, he has been a great example of how JOG can truly impact young adults and grow into the bright minds of tomorrow. We are excited to see what Elijah does next!
