Moorpark College Foundation showcases
MC Biotech Program
Job Ready Alumni Forum Series Highlights Career Education Programs
Moorpark, Calif. (March 28, 2022) – In the fifth event in the Moorpark College Foundation's Job-Ready Alumni forum series, the Moorpark College Foundation will host a Job Ready Alumni Forum focusing on the Biotechnology program at Moorpark College at 6 p.m., April 5, 2022.
Debi Klein, Chief Development Officer of the Moorpark College Foundation, said she is proud of Moorpark College’s dedication to the growing, vibrant biotechnology industry. “Our program provides the essential technical experience and training needed for this thriving field. We are grateful to our alumni for participating in the Job-Ready Forum and sharing their experiences and advice,” she said.
This hour-long panel discussion followed by a question-and-answer session is sponsored by Takeda Pharmaceuticals and is the third such forum to focus on the Moorpark College Biotechnology program and the lucrative employment opportunities available in Ventura County.
“The rewarding careers that the Biotech program prepares our students for have been the best-kept secret for a long time. I am glad that Takeda and some of our wonderful alumni are helping to shed light on this great resource through these Job-Ready Alumni Forums,” Dr. Subhash Karkare, lead faculty in the Biotechnology program, said.
The conversation will feature three Moorpark College Alumni as they discuss their progression from student to intern, to full-time employee and also will outline the Project STEM Impacto grant that provides incoming Latinx students with many benefits such as course-embedded tutoring, financial counseling, mentoring, paid internships, and book vouchers.
The Moorpark College Foundation Job-Ready Alumni Forum is an open discussion series on how alumni found their way to Moorpark College and how the college positioned them for local internships, workforce preparation, and/or transfer to a four-year university. It explores the relationships that exist between Moorpark College and local industries and how these relationships help students transition into the workforce. The intended audience includes current students, returning adult learners in career transition, and members of the community.
This forum will be hosted by Moorpark College Foundation Board Member Samantha Sale, Human Resources Leader at Takada Pharmaceutical. The discussion will be facilitated by Moorpark College Biotechnology instructors Karkare, and Hovik Gasparyan, and will be delivered via Zoom online seminar.
"One of the most rewarding parts of our jobs as educators is to see the students that we’ve trained advance into successful careers in the biotech industry. Here at Moorpark College, many of our Biotechnology alumni give back by volunteering their time to promote the program. I’m incredibly excited and honored to be a part of this forum, which has become one of the highlights of our program,” Gasparyan said.
Alumni panelists for this Job Ready Alumni Forum will be:
- Waheed Akberzie, Clinical Trials Management Associate, Gilead
- Kimberly Aguilar, Manufacturing Scientist II, Takeda Pharmaceuticals
- Sophia Nantongo, Scientist I at Thermo Fisher Scientific
The industry participant on the panel is:
- Stephen Hatke, Site Head/Plant Manager, Takeda Pharmaceuticals
Registration for the free Moorpark College Job Ready Alumni Forum can be found at bit.ly/MCBio-Forum. If you would like more information on the Alumni Forum on Biotechnology event, the Moorpark College Foundation, or the Moorpark College Alumni Association please call (805) 553- 4760 or email mcfoundation@vcccd.edu.