Natural Sciences Success Stories

Caitlin Borghini

B.S. in Biological Sciences with a minor in Environmental Science, 2020
Gailey Environmental, LLC, Scholarship Recipient

"The professors I have interacted with have done a great job in incorporating real-life scenarios into coursework. I know that when I leave the classroom, I will have the necessary knowledge to connect the dots and be successful in future studies."

Morgan Willis

B.S. in Biological Sciences with a minor in Chemistry, 2020
Young Scientist Program student, Blue Marble Institute of Science

"I find the small class sizes at Point Park University incredibly beneficial to me because I believe it makes learning more personal. Through this, I’ve learned how to communicate well with my professors and peers so that we can all perform our best."

Alexa Lake

B.S. in Funeral Service with a minor in Pre-Med, 2022
Volunteer, City of Pittsburgh Office of Nighttime Economy

"Not only is Point Park’s funeral service program very convenient, especially considering the diverse community surrounding where we take our classes, but my peers have been more supportive than I could have hoped for. United Student Government, the Pre-Med Student Association and my floormates are truly great."

Hana Rydl

B.S. in Biological Sciences with a minor in Chemistry, 2015
M.S. in Environmental Studies, 2016
Environmental Inspector Supervisor, TruHorizon Environmental Solutions

"Both my B.S. and M.S. classes at Point Park taught me how to cooperate and communicate with my coworkers. Exposure to public speaking while presenting my projects in school helped me tremendously, and still does daily in my work."

Paula Ambrose

B.S. in Biological Sciences with a concentration in Molecular/Cellular, 2020
Conservation Biology Intern, Allegheny Land Trust

"My Point Park biology classes have helped me a lot with this internship. This internship requires a lot of background knowledge for basic data collecting skills that I have already gained from my lab experience at Point Park."

Ingrid (Reiland) Pearson

B.S. in Biological Sciences with a concentration in Environmental Science, 2013
Project Scientist, Civil & Environmental Consultants, Inc.

"I chose Point Park because I am pursuing a career in the environmental field and the University offered an environmental science concentration within its biological sciences degree. Also, I prefer smaller classes and lab sizes in order to get direct teaching and attention from the instructors, and this is something that Point Park provides."

Leroy Headen

B.S. in Biotechnology, 2013
Chemical Laboratory Technician, Ashland Inc.

"I love science and a degree in biotechnology offered me an excellent opportunity to pursue my dream of becoming a scientist. This degree has courses in biology, chemistry and genetics. That diverse combination of scientific disciplines qualifies me to work in a wide variety of fields with high earning potential."

"I took some of the concepts I learned from the Career Development Center and applied them to my job search. I was also in a good position to land a new job having two years of experience in the biotechnology field working for Sylvan Bioscience. Through a lot of hard work and patience, I landed a job at Ashland Chemical."

Erin Faight

B.S. in Biotechnology, 2016
Research Assistant, Lupus Center of Excellence at West Penn Allegheny Health System

"I became interested in the biotechnology capstone program because it offered night and weekend classes which allowed me to continue working full time while furthering my education. Small class sizes also helped in my decision to go to Point Park. I just really wasn't interested in going to a large school with a hundred people in a class."

"I have just taken a few classes so far, but I have been very pleased with Point Park in general. The process to get started was surprisingly very easy, and my advisors have helped me a lot to register for classes. I took my developmental biology class online and my professor, Dr. Diane Krill, was really helpful."

Maria Fusco

B.S. in Biological Sciences, 2012
Client Care Specialist, Pleasant Hills Pet Hospital

"I feel blessed to have professors who are both very intelligent and concerned about their students. That combination can sometimes be difficult to find. I also enjoy my classmates. It's been great to have classes with people who are eager to learn."

"Point Park was very similar in size to my high school. I loved the idea of small classes and having professors who know your name and that you can go to with questions. Even with changing majors, my classes have worked out perfect. My college education has been everything I've wanted."

Michelle Guaragno

B.S. in Biological Sciences, 2010
Co-founder of Marelle, LLC

"I loved the science program at Point Park. I couldn't have asked for better professors. I liked going to a smaller school because I have been able to develop professional relationships with the faculty that I don't feel I would have been able to do at a larger school."

"As a Point Park undergraduate I wanted to initiate a research project, and Dr. Farrell had experience with a particular compound. We began working together and were amazed to achieve success in the lab on the first try."

Franco Sebastiani

B.S. in Biological Sciences, 2011
Graduate student, University of Pittsburgh's School of Dental Medicine

"All of the professors at Point Park truly care about their students and want to see them succeed. I especially enjoyed working with Dr. Farrell,Dr. Frost, Dr. Weston and Professor Gaglierd."

Sebastiani plans to earn a doctorate degree in dental medicine along with a Multidisciplinary Master of Public Health degree. He will then participate in a six-year oral and maxillofacial residency in which he will also earn an M.D. degree.

Audrey Eisentrout

B.S. in Premedical and Preprofessional Studies and Biological Sciences, 2015

"The professors are definitely dedicated to the students and their classes are very engaging. For example, Dr. Edward Strimlan knows I am interested in physical therapy so he makes connections to that career field with the material he is teaching."

"Also, Dr. Laura Frost does an amazing job teaching biology, especially in the lab setting, and Dr. Mark Farrell is always super helpful to his students."

Lin Webb

B.S. in Funeral Service with concentration in Environmental Health, 2012

"It's always been a goal of mine to earn a bachelor's degree. After graduating from the Pittsburgh Institute of Mortuary Science, my husband and I moved to Virginia where I worked for several years as a licensed funeral director and embalmer. When we moved back to Pittsburgh, I had been out of school for 10 years and decided it was time to get my bachelor's degree."

"Point Park came highly recommended by the Pittsburgh Institute of Mortuary Science. I was able to easily transfer in the credits I earned there so that I'll be able to complete my bachelor's degree at Point Park in four semesters. I also liked that Point Park offered Saturday and evening classes."

Jean Keene

M.S. in Environmental Studies, 2012
Environmental Education Specialist, PA Bureau of State Parks: Keystone State Park

"When trying to find work in Western Pa., I could answer any question about Florida’s ecology and environmental issues, but I could answer very little about Pennsylvania's environment. The Master of Science in environmental studies program at Point Park gave me a solid foundation of Pennsylvania's ecology and environmental concerns."

Courtney Mahronich

M.S. in Environmental Studies, 2012
Director of Trail Development, Friends of the Riverfront

"...Having a background in environmental studies has helped me with understanding the environmental benefits of trails and the importance of revitalizing our riverfronts. The Environmental Communication class I took has helped me with being able to communicate goals, impacts and progress of projects with communities and partners."

"I am very grateful for the opportunity to be able to work on trails, connecting communities together and people to nature. Also, I am thankful for the education and experience I gained at Point Park University, which has prepared and helped me achieve so much in my career."

Michelle Wunderley

M.S. in Environmental Studies, 2012
Staff Environmental Specialist, Enercon Services, Inc.

"The M.S degree has helped me learn about the regulations and key problems that are hot topics in the environmental field. Having this knowledge really gave me a step ahead of many by just having a general knowledge of the regulations."

"All of the professors were very friendly, easy to talk to, and responded to any questions or concerns I had. The professors asked challenging questions that really made you think about how to handle a situation or how to respond."