Michelle Angeloro rearranged her life so she could attend Great Bay Community College. Now, several years after that decision, she is deeply immersed in her career with biotechnology giant Lonza and has never looked back.
“I moved to New Hampshire in 2015 specifically so I could attend Great Bay,” Angeloro said. “I had just gotten my bachelor’s degree from Florida State University, and I was looking for an opportunity in biotech. I saw Great Bay’s program online, and it seemed like a perfect fit for me.”
After a phone call with Biotechnology Program Coordinator and Professor Deborah Audino confirmed her instincts, Angeloro relocated from Florida to New Hampshire and enrolled in Great Bay’s two-year associate degree program in biotechnology. After receiving her degree from Great Bay, she began her career with Portsmouth-based Lonza, the multinational manufacturing company for the pharmaceutical, biotechnology, and nutrition sectors.
She now works on the manufacturing floor as a senior biotechnologist, specializing in large-scale protein purification.
“It has really worked out very well for me,” she said.
Angeloro earned her bachelor’s degree in dietetics, which focuses on the effects of diet on health. The field involves more nutrition than science, and Angeloro realized over time that she was pulled toward science and research. “By the time I finished my courses at Florida State and got my degree, I realized I wanted to go in a different direction.”
That direction was due north to New Hampshire.
She found Great Bay during an internet search for careers in science. Biotech popped up, followed soon by Great Bay’s biotech program. “I saw that it was in Portsmouth, and that was an area I was interested in,” Angeloro said. “I also saw that it was close to Lonza, so I thought there would be some real opportunity there.”
Angeloro appreciated her Great Bay experience because it was personal, efficient, and effective. She began her studies with no experience in biotechnology, but Audino was always there to help. As she worked her way through the curriculum, she began to thrive.
She described the second-year Biomanufacturing course as invaluable and essential to her success. It is the second of two cornerstone courses in biotechnology, introducing students to manufacturing practices and hands-on production of human proteins.
Angeloro has remained loyal to Great Bay since her graduation, and at Audino’s invitation recently returned to campus to participate in the college’s Bring Back the Trades vendor exhibition and trade show.
“Deb was my professor at Great Bay, and she and I remain great friends. She reached out and asked if I would be interested in participating in the event, and of course I was. I really wanted to give back to the school a little bit, because it gave so much to me,” she said. “I enjoyed my time there, and I thought it was a great program. If I can do anything to urge others to discover it, I am 100-percent interested in doing that.”
