PlusOne Program Prepares Student for Leadership Roles
Isabella Serrano, E’25, chemical engineering, and MS’26, engineering management, has been able to pursue incredible academic and professional experiences throughout her years at Northeastern. From co-op opportunities and involvement in student organizations, she has developed new skills and abilities and is now prepared to enter the engineering industry after graduation.
Isabella Serrano had never heard about experiential learning and co-ops before beginning her college search. After learning about Northeastern University’s dedication to offering a variety of experiential learning opportunities, including its famed co-op program, Serrano knew attending Northeastern would be the right school to prepare her for any career path she wished to take.
Serrano at her undergraduate graduation in May of 2025.
With a strong interest in math and chemistry, Serrano decided to study chemical engineering. She also knew she wanted a career that would include hands-on work developing impactful projects she was passionate about. Chemical engineering seemed like the perfect program for Serrano as it encapsulated everything she wanted out of a college degree program. Serrano graduated with her bachelor’s degree in May 2025 and is now pursuing her master’s degree in engineering management through the PlusOne program. Joining the PlusOne program was something she discerned during her second year of undergraduate studies. Serrano aims to pursue leadership roles in her career and believes a master’s degree in engineering management will provide her with the necessary tools and expertise to become a leader.
Serrano with her Ralph A. Buonopane Award.
At Northeastern, Serrano has been able to pursue her interests through co-op, internships, unique courses and an amazing offering of student organizations. Due to her hard work in her degree program, she was awarded the Ralph A. Buonopane Award in 2025. She has found the perfect career path for herself and is grateful for the wonderful experiences she has been able to take part in as a student.
Co-op and Internship Experiences
Serrano participated in her first co-op during her second year of undergraduate studies. She worked as a process engineering co-op for uniQure, a biotechnology company that aims to advance cell and gene therapies. During Serrano’s co-op, uniQure received FDA approval for the only cure for hemophilia B, which was a memorable and exciting part of her experience.
In her role, Serrano worked within a small team of five engineers, mostly on project management and troubleshooting. Her position involved a lot of hands-on work, which she was excited about. Serrano and her team would work closely with all of the teams in the company to provide troubleshooting analysis and support, while figuring out how to make manufacturing safe, without interrupting the process.
Halfway through Serrano’s co-op, one of her managers left to work on a project abroad, and Serrano was able to take over her manager’s projects. Serrano was grateful to be trusted with a big project where she gained leadership skills and new abilities on the job. Serrano, in her new role, was able to help the company extend its manufacturing line while working with a $500,000 budget and coordinating with various vendors to bring in new equipment. Serrano said she was given the responsibilities of a full-time employee and loved being able to take a leadership role, which encouraged her to pursue engineering management.
Besides her co-op at uniQure, Serrano completed two summer internships. The first internship was at dsm-firmenich as a process engineering intern, and the second one was at Bristol Myers Squibb as a parenteral ExM MS&T intern. At dsm-firmenich, Serrano worked on manufacturing two major products of theirs, a fragrance enhancer and a fragrance mask. In her role, she worked with piping, instrumentation diagrams, and on automating processes. With one particular project, she worked on a code that would notify operators when the reaction is 90% complete, so chemical operators would be able to take fewer gas chromatography tests. She said serving in this role solidified her passion for working in the chemical engineering industry.
At Bristol Myers Squibb, Serrano worked on external manufacturing and specifically on a drug for cancer patients. She had the chance to develop an AI model that made the process of finding health authority queries more efficient for her co-workers. She said she enjoyed that the company offered many workshops for its interns, and Serrano felt like she was given all the tools to succeed and develop her skills in the workplace.
Extracurriculars
Serrano at the AICHE Conference in San Diego, California.
As an undergrad, Serrano was a part of the student organization, American Institute of Chemical Engineers (AIChE). She held an e-board position as the ChemE Sports Co-lead and led weekly meetings. The ChemE Sports section of the club deals with working in a chemical plant simulation, and the group is tasked with solving various problems that could occur in a plant. Serrano was able to mentor other students and assist with problem-solving while leading her team. The team competed in San Diego at a national conference and ended up winning first place regionally for the Northeast. Serrano said this was a memorable part of her Northeastern experience and was thrilled all of her team’s hard work was recognized at the conference.
Future Perspectives
Serrano expects to graduate with her master’s in engineering management in May 2026. She said she has been “very fortunate that my time at Northeastern was filled with so many positive professional and academic experiences. I feel really confident going into the workplace and applying for a lot of different opportunities.” After graduating, Serrano hopes to go into manufacturing in the biotech and pharmaceutical industries. Her co-op and internship experiences had a direct impact on her career decisions, and she aims to find a role similar to what she held in those experiences. She is excited to continue working on projects she is passionate about and apply all of the incredible skills she has developed through her opportunities at Northeastern.