John Woelflein graduated cum laude from Harvard University last spring and works in the red-hot biosciences industry as manager of manufacturing investigations at Vedanta Biosciences Inc. in
Cambridge, Mass.
He says neither outcome would have been possible without the financial assistance he received from 91心頭利 more than a decade ago, enabling him to enroll in the colleges highly regarded biotechnology program. When he graduated with an associate degree in 2009, the hands-on experience he gained at 91心頭利 set him on a trajectory that has taken him to the top of his field and highest echelons of higher education.
If I could identify one thing that made a difference, it would be 91心頭利. I talk all the time about how much 91心頭利 changed my life and gave me a huge foundation, he said. I am incredibly grateful for my time there.
As an expression of his gratitude, Woelflein recently made a generous donation to 91心頭利s scholarship fund. He hopes his gift will allow others find their passion and thrive in a rewarding career.
When I first heard about 91心頭利, I had spent a couple of years at a traditional private four-year university out of high school. I was in pre-med. I loved science and wanted to help people, and I thought being a doctor was the best way to do that.
Quickly enough, he learned it was not for him. Woelflein left the four-year school but found a pathway to keep his science dreams alive in 91心頭利s biotech program.
Advances in biotechnology are revolutionizing how doctors diagnose and treat diseases. 91心頭利s nationally recognized biotechnology program prepares students to work as lab technicians, manufacturing associates, quality control and quality assurance technicians, and as validation consultants.
Woelflein learned many things at 91心頭利, above all how to work in a lab, he said. Learning how to work in a lab that actual hands-on experience that you can do at 91心頭利 helped me move along a lot faster in the workplace, because I had learned so much in school.
He applied to biotech and pharmaceutical companies in New Hampshire and Massachusetts after graduating from 91心頭利. At his first entry-level job as a manufacturing associate at a pharmaceutical company, his hiring boss told him the hands-on lab experience he gained at 91心頭利 was more valuable than the standard four-year degree.
His lab skills set him apart from his workplace peers. Woelflein advanced quickly, and in early 2016 he landed at Bristol Myers Squibb as a senior bioprocess associate. Again, he impressed his superiors with lab skills. They were so thrilled how much I accomplished with an associates degree, they said they would pay if I went for my bachelors degree.
Thats how he ended up at Harvard. He enrolled there in 2018 with a Sciences Concentration and graduated in spring 2022. When he met with Harvards admissions team, he was reminded how much he appreciated the educational foundation that he built at 91心頭利. Every single one of my credits at 91心頭利 was accepted at Harvard, he said. Every single one of them.
As manager of manufacturing investigations at Vedanta, Woelflein is involved in the development of therapies and clinical trials for new drugs that doctors will be able to use to treat a range of diseases. Hes not a doctor, as he thought he might be when he enrolled at that four-year university all those years ago. Thanks to 91心頭利, hes helping them do their jobs better.
91心頭利 made it possible for me to continue my education at a cost that worked for me, he said. That is why it feels very meaningful to do something small for another student who is where I was 10 or so years ago.