Case Western Reserve University students graduate in high demand and ready to make an immediate impact in their fields. Meet a few of our smart graduates.
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It’s not surprising Jack stood out to the Lewis Katz School of Medicine at Temple, which has an acceptance rate around 5%. Yale New Haven Hospital was also impressed. As an internal medicine resident there, he was on the front lines of providing care in the ICU during the COVID-19 pandemic. He graduated from Case Western Reserve with an impressive resume, including research in organic chemistry and Alzheimer’s disease. Post graduation, he coordinated three research projects for CWRU professors in Papua New Guinea to study drug therapy treatments for the successful elimination of lymphatic filariasis, a parasitic disease spread by mosquitoes.
Some of the CWRU factors Jack credits with helping him get into a top medical school
- The opportunity to triple major and build a deep academic resume
- His anthropology degree, which inspired him to join the Peace Corps post-CWRU and work in Moma, Mozambique
- Multiple research opportunities with CWRU faculty and lab experiences during and after graduation
The Innovator & Entrepreneur
Felipe Gomez del Campo, '16/'18
Founder and CEO, Specter Aerospace (formerly FGC Plasma Solutions)
- Majors: Mechanical engineering and aerospace engineering
- Master of Science: Aerospace engineering
- CWRU involvement: Varsity Swimming & Diving, CWRU’s Chapter of the Society of Hispanic Professional Engineers co-founder
Felipe invented a device that shoots a precise amount of plasma—a type of ionized gas—into jet-engine fuel, improving efficiency and lowering emissions. What started as a high school science fair project came to life at Case Western Reserve. Felipe earned a patent and more than $6.1 million in funding for his startup, FGC Plasma Solutions. He now holds a visiting scientist appointment at the MIT Department of Mechanical Engineering. He’s been named to prestigious lists, including Forbes’ “30 under 30” Energy category and MIT Technology Review’s ranking of “Innovators under 35.”
CWRU played an integral role in the development of Felipe’s breakthrough idea
- He used Sears think[box] makerspace and innovation center to construct his initial prototype, with financing help from the think[box] Student Project Fund.
- He turned to CWRU’s LaunchNet for startup advice and the university’s Great Lakes Energy Institute for initial seed funds and mentorship.
- Through CWRU law school’s IP Venture Clinic, he received free legal assistance on his patent applications.
The Accomplished Policy-Maker
Temi Omilabu, '17/'17
Associate at Quinn Emanuel, a global business litigation firm in NYC
- Major: English
- Minor: Political science
- Master of Arts: Bioethics and medical humanities
- CWRU involvement: Track & Field team captain, Pi Beta Phi Fraternity, University Program Board president
You could call Temi a renaissance woman. During her time at Case Western Reserve, she was a student leader and a presidential correspondence intern in the Obama White House. Since graduating from CWRU, Temi gained her Juris Doctor from Boston University and became a Yale Law Fellow. She then worked as a communications and policy associate for IntraHealth International and the Bush Global Health Initiative. Temi was also chosen as one of 140 Global Health Corps Fellows from 5,000 applicants. Her list of accomplishments includes serving as a judicial intern to Chief Justice Ralph Gants of the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court and as the executive editor of the American Journal of Law and Medicine, as well as being named a Ms. JD fellow.
Temi’s CWRU leadership role influenced her career path
"As University Program Board president at CWRU, I led a cohort of about 30 students to plan and execute large-scale campus events, with a budget of just over $200,000. My time as president gave me the confidence, creativity, people-skills and resilience to enter my first post-graduate job with confidence."
The Global Change-Agent
Liana Kabins, '18
Program Coordinator, Pan American Development Foundation, Washington D.C.
- Majors: Political science and international studies
- Minor: Arabic
- CWRU involvement: Orchestra, Coxswain for CWRU Crew
Liana is a true citizen of the world. In her master’s program at the prestigious Fletcher School, she studied forced migration and human security with the goal of working for the United Nations in development, migration or humanitarian affairs. She’s already on their radar, too. As an undergrad at Case Western Reserve, she interned with the UN Refugee Agency. It was just one of the experiences that took Liana to three continents as a CWRU student.
Liana’s real-world learning opportunities during her undergraduate years
- Summer 2015: interned with InterReligious Task Force on Central America to gain experience in non-governmental organization advocacy
- Summer 2016: studied social change and Spanish in Barranquilla, Colombia
- Spring 2017: studied politics and diplomacy with a focus on the Middle East in Amman, Jordan, which included an internship with Jesuit Refugee Service accompanying case workers on interviews
- Summer 2017: worked with the UN Refugee Agency in Malaysia as a registration intern recording initial interviews of asylum-seekers
The Trailblazing Computer Scientist
Stephanie Hippo, '15
Engineering Manager, Loop
- Major: Computer science
- CWRU involvement: Fencing Club, Big Brothers Big Sisters, Hacker Society, Association for Computing Machinery
Stephanie leads teams of site-reliability engineers in Seattle, Washington, and Munich, Germany, responsible for keeping Google’s internal services up and running. Her leadership skills were honed at Case Western Reserve. Stephanie organized the first group of CWRU students to attend the Grace Hopper Celebration of Women in Computing and was at the forefront of building the Hacker Society into the inclusive student group it is today. Those same skills made her stand out at her nuclear medicine co-op with Philips Healthcare and her software engineering co-op and internship with Explorys—an IBM company.
Co-op and internship experiences benefited Stephanie’s job search
"When I was interviewing, I had a rich wealth of experience to talk about. By the time I graduated, I had several years of full-time job experience built-up…and a network of folks who were willing to help me find positions, prepare for interviews and get ready for whatever was next."
The Progressive Problem-Solver
Duwain Pinder, '10
Partner, McKinsey & Co.
- Major: Management, Finance concentration
- Minor: Economics
- CWRU involvement: Undergraduate Student Government president, African American Society vice president, Wolstein Society, The Mortar Board National Senior Honor Society, Student Turning Point Society, Voices of Glory Gospel Choir
Duwain parlayed a career in finance, public policy work with Teach for America, and an MBA and master’s in public policy from Harvard University into a position as a thought leader helping build up communities. As a founder of the McKinsey Institute for Black Economic Mobility, he explores systemic issues that limit progress in Black communities and works toward sustainable action to support their economic progress. Duwain found a “village of support” at CWRU that helped him become the leader he is today. As student body president, he worked to find solutions for campus challenges, building skills he continues to use every day.
Influential supporters Duwain encountered in the CWRU community
- Office of Multicultural Affairs staff: “I spent a lot of time here—they recommended books to read to help me shape my world view.”
- Academic and leadership advisors: “My first academic advisor helped me navigate my major and academic pursuits. The advisor for student government helped me develop as a leader.”
- Friends: “I met my best friends at CWRU. I’m most grateful for my education because it gave me the opportunity to meet them.”
The Multifaceted Nurse
Jonah Pregulman, '16
Travel Nurse, Disaster Medical Assistance
Team Nurse, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services
- Major: Nursing
- CWRU involvement: Beta Theta Pi Fraternity archivist, CaseEMS, Climbing Club vice president
What Jonah likes most about his specialty in emergency travel nursing is that no two days are alike. He may find himself in the skies above Mexico on a Learjet caring for a patient one day and in a busy Los Angeles emergency room the next. He is expected to be an expert in everything from critical care to the common cold. Jonah credits Case Western Reserve for helping him meet the challenge. Many of the 1,000+ hours of clinical training required by the nursing program were done in the nation’s top-rated medical centers, such as Cleveland Clinic and University Hospitals—both within walking distance of campus. And he was introduced to innovations in areas such as public health and specialties like flight nursing.
Distinct patient-care experiences Jonah had as a CWRU nursing student
- International volunteering: in a three-bed Haitian hospital emergency room
- Perioperative clinicals: seven weeks in operating rooms during his junior year
- Public health internship: flying in a four-seat airplane to a remote Alaskan village to vaccinate children and perform tuberculosis skin tests was a highlight