Wheaton News

Long before they donned their robes for the trip across the stage in May, many Wheaton seniors already were on their way to the full-time positions they secured prior to graduation. Here, a few of them reflect on how their education set them up for success.

Akib Marzuk ’22

• Associate consultant
• Charles River Development, Boston
• Financial mathematics, independent major

“Wheaton’s curriculum and social culture give you the opportunity to explore the reality and breadth of the problems faced by the world and how different industries tackle them. It gives you an added sense of self-reflection and motivation to go beyond the norm, to think constructively about the intersection of capitalism and society, and to take risks with your academic and career interests to explore what really drives you. That’s something that’s invaluable and infinite in nature—structuring the pathway to success.”

“I initially worked at the parent company of Charles River Development, known as State Street, throughout my junior year and the summer before senior year. Through that experience, I was able to connect with a lot of professionals who have mentored me, including a Wheaton alum who had served as my main mentor. He had then referred me to the position, knowing my skill set and passions in the intersection of future-focused finance and technology.”

Hana Memisevic ’22

• Teacher
• Success Academy, New York City
• Hispanic studies major

“Wheaton gave me so many opportunities to explore different aspects of education as a field of expertise—through internships, of course, but also through many conversations with different highly experienced professors, staff members and other students. My professors’ passion for education inspired me endlessly and fed a lifelong passion for being the best teacher I can be.”

 “I have had several internships during my time at Wheaton that helped me get this opportunity. As a freshman, I had a winternship with Boston Public Schools in Dorchester, Mass., where I shadowed and worked in several high school ESL classrooms. From there, I realized that I wanted to keep working in classrooms and applied to the Breakthrough Collaborative, where I worked during the summers of 2019 and 2020, as well as virtually during the fall of 2020. This internship allowed me to learn what it is like to design your own curriculum—mine centered around language and power—and what it is like to manage your own classroom.”

Jillian Riveros ’22

• Research assistant I in the Hotamışlıgil Lab
• Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston
• Biochemistry major

“Wheaton helped me discover my passion for research and gave me the courage and support to apply for scholarships, internships and job opportunities that I never thought I would have. I got this opportunity by looking at research labs in my particular interest, cardiovascular metabolism, to see if they had any job openings. … My summer at Vanderbilt University doing cardiovascular metabolism research in Professor David Wasserman’s lab really helped me get this opportunity. All of the wet lab exposure I received directly translated to my role at the Hotamışlıgil Lab.”

Elizabeth “Ellie” Williams ’22

• Research associate II, Compound Management team
• Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, Cambridge, Mass.
• Biochemistry major

“The Chemistry Department is full of extremely dedicated professors who create close-knit relationships with their students and really want them to succeed. I met so many professors who have helped me on my journey in this department and have worked with me closely to make me more independent and confident. My professors—in particular, my amazing advisor Professor Jennifer Lanni, as well as Professors Thandi Buthelezi and Matthew Evans—have pushed me to further my interests in the biochemistry field and constantly supported my aspirations.”

“Through my senior seminar class I was introduced to the Broad Institute via an alum [Kira Olander ’19], who works there. Additionally, I had heard about the institute from another alum [Helene Mantineo ’21], and I reached out to connect with her via LinkedIn. My experience getting hands-on research in a lab and utilizing machinery such as UV-Vis, MOE, and GC/LC outside of classes in my independent studies with both Professor Buthelezi and Professor Evans definitely contributed to being offered the position.”