On Saturday, May 9, the Spring High School Apprenticeship Challenge participants were celebrated at the program’s Closing Ceremony!
What is the High School Apprenticeship Challenge (HSAC)?
The HSAC is a pre-professional training opportunity that helps high school students build technical knowledge, lab technique skills, research-based thinking, and professional skills to help prepare them for college and/or careers at life science companies.
Late last year, 69 students in the greater Boston area applied for the Spring 2026 HSAC program. Twenty-nine students from 17 schools were accepted, and 21 of them completed the full eight-week program.
Beginning on March 14, 2026, and continuing for eight weeks, the students met twice weekly for one technical training session and one professional development session.
Technical Training
The group spent Saturdays at BioBuilder’s Learning Lab @Allston Labworks exploring the BioBuilder curriculum and conducting hands-on bioscience projects in the lab. Their time in the lab concluded with the opportunity to test for industry-aligned microcredentials.
Student Impact
Q: What was the most exciting or memorable moment for you?
A: “My favorite part was doing the labs and actually getting to do the real life work of what scientists do.”
What a win it was when all 21 students achieved one or more microcredentials!
- 100% of students earned the Lab Safety: Hazard Assessment microcredential from the Biosciences Core Skills Institute (BCSI).
- The students also did extremely well on the Biotechnology Aptitude and Competency Exam (BACE), coming in above the national average for three microcredentials:
- 20 students earned the Standard Equipment (95%)
- 17 students earned the Biotechnology Skills (81%)
- 15 students earned the Applied Mathematics (71%)
- Fourteen of the students earned all four microcredentials from BCSI and BACE!
Student Impact
Q: How has this experience changed the way you think about science or research?
A: “It’s demystified a lot of it and makes it feel much more approachable.”
Professional Development
The apprentices also gathered online each Thursday for invaluable professional experiences, including:
- Students had the chance to participate in BioBuilder Career Conversations, hearing about the career paths of senior scientists at Stealth Mode Biotech, UCB, and LanzaTech.
- Four HSAC alumni spoke with students about their own HSAC experience and where it has led them:
- Nancy Otaluka from our first cohort in 2016 who is now a Clinical Research Coordinator II at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center
- Susana Donkor, a 2017 alum who is now a Senior Research Associate at Mirai Bio
- Nathaniel Jorgenson from 2017 who is now a Scientist at Amide Technologies
- Edwin Gonzalez from 2019 who is now a Lab Coordinator at Thermo Fisher Scientific
- Kelly Science & Clinical helped students build their professional skills by providing:
- an overview of careers in biotech and biomanufacturing
- assistance with resume and cover letter writing
- tips on how to network on LinkedIn
- The students also completed mock interviews to build their confidence and practice articulating the experiences and skills they’ve developed throughout the program.
In total, the apprentices completed 54 hours of training and earned 73 microcredentials! Now that’s something to celebrate!
Student Impact
Q: What’s one thing you learned here that you couldn’t have learned in a classroom at school?
A: “How to properly use some of the lab equipment and a lot of the stuff pertaining to resumes and connecting with people within this industry.”
Celebrating at the Closing Ceremony
The Closing Ceremony was rocking as family and friends gathered to celebrate their amazing and accomplished students! The Apprentices received their HSAC Certificates and showed off their bioscience projects during the Lab Showcase.
Many thanks to our supporters for helping make all of this success possible:
- Kelly Science, Engineering, Technology, & Telecom
- Worker Empowerment Cabinet, City of Boston
- Allston Labworks
- Massachusetts Life Sciences Center
- USA Scientific
- Ginkgo Bioworks
- UCB
- WIB
- Josephine Lawrence Hopkins Foundation
- James B. Boskey Memorial Foundation
Student Impact
Q: What would you tell another student who is thinking about joining this program?
A: “I would tell them it’s a great experience to open your eyes to other careers especially through the online meetings and to meet other people who are willing to help you.”
HSAC: 10 Years and Going Strong!
The 2026 Spring cohort marked 10 years of the HSAC program. That translates to celebrating 10 years of empowering tomorrow’s scientists and leaders!
Since HSAC launched in 2016:
- 601 students applied to the program
- 308 students from 71 high schools have been accepted to the program
- 295 students started the program
- 257 students completed the program
- Overall program completion average is 92%
- 364 microcredentials earned
- 105 paid summer jobs and internships at more than 55 Boston area employers
We are encouraged by the enthusiasm and dedication of these HSAC students, knowing they will go on to build lives of purpose and impact.
Student Stories
Q: Did this experience change how you see your future career or education goals?
A: “Yeah, it made me more likely to do a biotech based career.”
Passing the Baton in Business Ops
Farewell
This month, BioBuilder is bidding a warm farewell to Kateri Atkins who has served as the Director of Business Operations since 2023. Kateri brought her dedicated, team-focused spirit to every aspect of her work at BioBuilder, and we are so grateful for the time she has spent with us.
As her last day drew near, Kateri reflected on her time at BioBuilder:
“What began as a temporary role quickly grew into work that I cared about deeply. I am incredibly grateful for my time at BioBuilder and for the opportunity to contribute to an organization whose mission has meant so much to me personally.
It has been a privilege to support work that makes such a meaningful impact, and an even greater privilege to do so alongside such a caring, dedicated, and mission-driven team. Every day, I was inspired by colleagues who remained focused on what matters most: serving students and supporting the teachers who introduce them to the world of synthetic biology. I took great pride in knowing that my role helped keep the many moving parts running smoothly in support of BioBuilder’s mission.
While I will miss each and every person at BioBuilder, my belief in and support for this organization will never waver. As I step away, I do so with a full heart and deep appreciation, as well as excitement for my next chapter -–returning to school full time to complete my degree in accounting.”
You will be missed, Kateri. We wish you all the best and know you will be successful in your new endeavor!
Welcome!
Taking up the Business Operations baton is Erica Mancini. She has been working alongside Kateri to make the transition seamless, and we are super happy to welcome her to the BioBuilder team!
Erica shares a bit more about herself and her journey to BioBuilder:
“After more than 25 years in financial services at both Fidelity Investments and Massachusetts Financial Services, I made the choice to step back, not away from meaningful work, but toward a different kind of it. I spent that time focused on my family and on the volunteer and nonprofit work that mattered to me.
When the opportunity to join the BioBuilder Educational Foundation came along, BioBuilder’s mission resonated with me. I believe in empowering the next generation with both the skills and the curiosity to engage with some of the most pressing questions of their time, and BioBuilder is leading the charge in biotechnology education.
I’ve long admired what Natalie and this team have built since their early days working out of MIT. The aspiration to bring bioscience to every student in America is one I am honored to help pursue, and I’m genuinely excited to work alongside people already doing such remarkable things.
I am thankful for Kateri’s onboarding. I know that I am stepping into a role that was shaped with extraordinary care. Kateri’s fingerprints are on this organization in the best possible way, helping to define its processes, its relationships, and its character. I do not take that lightly, and I look forward to building on what she established with the same dedication and thoughtfulness she brought to it.”
We are so happy to have you join us, Erica!