SHANA SOURISH
2022 UW Graduate
Major: Biochemistry
As a recent UW graduate already working in the biotech industry, Shana is an inspiration. A short conversation with Shana gave me insight into her undergraduate experience in the UW biochemistry major and her current job position in biotech. In the present, Shana strives to make a difference in the world through science and has comforting words to share with current UW undergrads.
Throughout high school, Shana planned to pursue a bioengineering degree in the future. Shortly after the start of her freshman year at UW, she realized she was more passionate about the biology component of bioengineering, such as how our bodies work, new natural world discoveries, and innovative disease treatments. This led her to apply and be accepted into the biochemistry major at UW. However, Shana came to learn how cruel some of the administrators, faculty, and even students at this institution were capable of being. She was told by her advisor to consider a non-STEM major and career, and was later bullied by one of her peers after acceptance into the biochemistry major. This led to numerous moments of self-doubt and she admits that these individuals’ words still affect her today.
During lockdown, the era of quarantine and Zoom university, Shana became heavily aware of both the advantages and disadvantages of online courses. It was harder to learn and find motivation when no one was able to attend labs or classes in-person and instead sat at home doing worksheets, extra/harder work, and a professor began accusing a large majority of the class of plagiarism on lab reports with zero basis for these claims (everyone who has taken organic chemistry at UW knows who this is). Online exams were almost more stressful than in-person exams, because the professors made them more difficult and no one ever knew what to expect. Shana recalls anxiously throwing up on days she had an exam and preparing for the worst. Professors gave unreasonably hard exams; to the point where even TAs could not score above a 50%. All of this added to the overall feeling of isolation. Despite the disadvantages, there were also some advantages of online classes, such as developing skills to defend one’s answer, a higher prevalence of open-note exams, more peer-to-peer collaboration on assignments via Discord channels, and greater accessibility to Office Hours (easier to attend when they are held virtually).
As part of a marginalized community, Shana sometimes felt isolated from her identity and Arab culture. She decided to take Arabic language courses and found solace in one of her Arabic professors. Her professor gave her courage to believe in herself and have confidence in her own abilities. With this presence of mind, Shana applied for the UW Foreign Language Fellowship and was accepted. Her professor was one of her greatest supporters and wrote letters of recommendation, helped her schedule courses, and was there when she needed advice. Shana highly recommends taking language and diversity courses at UW, because the professors are so kind and the classes contain interesting content.
As Shana says, “It’s not the grades or bullet point we get to add to our resume that matters; but rather our passion to learn and eventually become people who work to care for the world around us. Be proud of your growth! You don’t need perfect grades throughout college, instead, focus on your growth and progress that got you to the finish line. Look at how your memory of certain curriculum material improved, how remarkable your essay writing skills became, and how you are bold enough to ask questions in class now when you never could as a freshman. Freshman you would be proud of you now. Even if you aren’t doing what they dreamed they would, they’d be proud of the well-rounded, caring person you have become.” At the end of the day, your current and/or future co-workers do not care what grade you got in a specific undergraduate science class; they care about your meaningful contributions in the workplace, work ethic, and scientific foundation/understanding. The same is true for many interviewers: one of the most important parts of gaining a biotech position is being knowledgeable of the science behind each part of your resume and if you don’t know the answer to something, being able to arrive at a reasonable answer based on what you can deduce from the situation.
For those who are about to graduate or recently have: it’s okay to let yourself rest and engage in meaningful life experiences, like traveling or learning a new skill. You don’t have to be productive all the time!
Now, post-graduation, Shana works at a biotech industry and enjoys her job. She encourages everyone with a science background to put their rigorous education to work and pursue a lap position. Even though she had no undergraduate research experience, it was her thorough understanding of biochemistry topics that made her the perfect candidate for this job. A typical day at work for her includes digesting DNA, proceeding to make RNA from the cut DNA via in vitro transcription, and finally, purifying the RNA and running quality checks like agarose gels to ensure there is no contaminated RNA. During expected waiting periods throughout the day, when things are digesting or being transcribed, she completes other tasks like writing reports, documenting the process, making reagents, or prepping purifications and gels. Eventually, Shana plans to attend pharmacy school, medical school, or graduate school to attain a higher degree of biochemistry education. She says that her current job will contribute to her decision about a future career, and that this is a meaningful step in her specific career development.
If Shana’s story resonates with you, remember you are exactly where you need to be and your well-being is most important. If you are currently a biochemistry major or considering becoming one, know that you have the opportunity to be at the forefront of scientific innovation and have the chance to make a positive impact on the world around you.