Citizen Schools and Biogen’s Community Lab Inspires a STEM Career Path for former Boston Student Jose Melo

Hear Jose and Alazar Ayele, from Biogen, at our February 15 Elevating Voices for Equity event.

Former Citizen Schools middle school student Jose Melo, currently a junior Biology major at Bowdoin College had his interest in the STEM field pique from the three years in middle school where he participated in Citizen Schools’ after school programs at the John W McCormack Middle School in Boston, Massachusetts.

Jose and Priscilla Cohen, who mentored Jose after meeting him in Citizen Schools’ 8GA program.

While in middle school, he completed a total of 12 apprenticeship programs in STEM. “My favorite one was robotics where I remember learning how to code my robot,” said Melo. “During my final presentation—or what was called a “WOW”, I had the chance to showcase the robot that I built.”

As an eighth grader, Jose participated in Citizen Schools’ Eighth Grade Academy (8GA), a program designed to help Boston eighth graders prepare for and manage the transition to high school. It was in that program that Jose met and developed a close relationship with his then writing coach, Priscilla Cohen, a founding National Board Member and 15-year veteran staff member at Citizen Schools. Over the years, Priscilla has mentored Jose around his educational journey—including Beacon Academy, Cambridge School of Weston and Bowdoin College where he has a full scholarship—and his summer jobs which have deepened Jose’s interest and experience in STEM. 

During the summer after his sophomore year in high school, Jose valued his experience with Biogen’s Community Labs. Biogen’s Community Lab is a state of the art hybrid facility that incorporates virtual learning, in-person biotechnology experiments, and interactions with scientists and other biotech professionals. It focuses on engaging students globally from backgrounds that are historically underrepresented in science and introducing them to the wide array of career options in the biotechnology industry.

“There are so many ways the Citizen Schools apprenticeships influenced the choices I made later in my academics and in life. My experience with Citizen Schools helped me develop my deep interest in Science and Math, which was also when I became intrigued with technology. This led me to join Biogen’s ‘Adventures in Biology’ at their Community Lab, where I got to meet scientists and biotech professionals.”

In high school, Jose participated in Biogen’s summer program at their Community Lab in Cambridge, MA.

Alazar Ayele, Biogen’s Manager of Corporate Responsibility, taught Jose during his time in the Community Lab.  “As an educator, I am thrilled to see Jose and other students pursue careers in STEM because of opportunities like the Biogen Community Lab,” said Ayele. It has been an honor for Biogen and the Biogen Foundation to work with Citizen Schools to strengthen and support educational offerings by helping increase access to STEM resources and opportunities for students currently underrepresented in STEM college or career pathways. ”

Jose also spent a summer at the Broad Institute and has worked at Flagship Pioneering/Tessera Therapeutics for the past three summers. This semester, Jose is studying abroad in Copenhagen where his main class is Medical Biotechnology and Drug Development. 

While studying abroad, he will join efforts with Citizen Schools and Biogen once again, this time as a student panelist, alongside Alazar as the student panel moderator, for the February 15th Elevating Voices for Equity series, presented by Biogen. This virtual conversation with BIPOC leaders, focuses on equity in STEM education. February’s event topic circles around “Developing STEM Networks for BIPOC Social Mobility.” After an inspirational hour-long discussion with field leaders, the event will feature a half-hour session with students, including Jose. The student panel offers viewpoints on how students are directly impacted by STEM educational opportunities and inequities—along with their suggestions for how students can be best supported. 

We encourage you to join Jose and our full lineup of panelists by registering for this uplifting conversation, today!

Elevating Voices For Equity: Conversations with Black, Indigenous and People of Color (BIPOC)
“Developing STEM Networks for BIPOC Social Mobility”
Tuesday, February 15, 9–10:30 AM PT / 12–1:30 PM ET