Fernanda Ventura

My name is Fernanda Ventura and I am a recent graduate from the University of Maryland, College Park (UMD) with a degree in Biological Sciences. I attended classes at The Universities at Shady Grove (USG) campus, specializing in neurobiology and physiology. After graduation, I transitioned from intern to full-time associate biologist at ATCC, working on the organization’s Microphysiology Systems R&D team. 

I first learned about USG from a coworker who was enrolled in my same program. At the time, I was working full-time as a retail store manager and had paused my education due to the COVID-19 pandemic. By then, I was close to completing my associate’s degree in Biological Sciences at Montgomery College, so I had already earned a significant number of credits toward my bachelor's degree.

The transition from Montgomery College to UMD at USG felt smooth, thanks in large part to the support and guidance of the program director. They clearly laid out the remaining requirements and helped me prepare for my first semester on USG’s campus.

When I started college, my original plan was to go the pre-med route. But by the time I got to UMD, I wasn’t sure if that was still the right path. I felt uncertain and a little out of place. That changed when I took Cell Biology and discovered how much I enjoyed working in the lab. The hands-on experiments and the challenge of writing lab reports helped me reconnect with my curiosity and interest in science.

USG was a wonderful experience for me. The smaller class sizes made it easier to build relationships with professors, who were incredibly understanding of the challenges I faced while balancing full-time work and school. 

Thanks to USG, I’ve been able to learn about many different opportunities for research  positions. When I was a student, I became the vice president of the Biomedical Research Club, where I gained valuable knowledge from others' experiences. I also worked at ATCC as a SPARC (Student Partnership and Research Collaboration) associate biologist intern during my senior year. The SPARC program was a fairly new one that was exclusive to students at USG. It was my first position in a lab setting outside of school. I learned new skill sets and gained valuable hands-on experience working in a lab, running experiments, and watching different research and development presentations.

The Biological Sciences program offered at USG helped prepare me for the research world. The skills and knowledge I gained at USG really came through during my internship, and thanks to both experiences, I was able to land a job with the same organization I had been interning with.