Source: Pathways to Technology: "Success Story: Roya Dirin"
Careers In Biotechnology
(Interactive)
In this video excerpted from Pathways to Technology, you’ll learn about the role biotechnology plays in the fight against cancer. Roya Dirin is an upstream processing associate who works with cells, looking for proteins that can help treat cancer. Her first career was as a midwife, but she decided to switch fields because she wanted to help cure diseases. Roya explains how her community college biotechnology degree is just the first step in her new career.
Download and ShareWhat is an upstream processing associate, and what does it have to do with biotechnology? Just ask Roya Dirin. As an upstream processing associate with a community college degree in biotechnology, Roya’s job is to harvest and purify cells used in cancer research.
Roya became interested in biotechnology through her prior career. She grew up in Iran, where she earned a bachelor's degree, and worked as a midwife. Roya enjoyed her job, but she was also interested in the field of medical research, especially how drugs are developed and how treatments are discovered. “I was working in the hospital with patients, and I always thought about being involved in the research to find a cure for disease." When she moved to the United States, she decided to explore a new career. Going back to school was the first step.
Roya explains, "Community college was a good experience for me. It helped being in the [lab] environment before I got to the company." Roya likes her job, and finds her work exciting, but knows there's more she'd like to do in the field: “My goal is to continue my education. I don’t want to stop here—I would like to do research.”
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