Nathan Drillings
2023 Ignatian Hoya Recipient
I want to help develop innovations that will better humanity, and I chose this degree because I believe that it is the first step in making that goal come true for me.
About Nathan
Nathan Drillings is from Los Angeles, California. Before coming to Georgetown Biomedical Graduate Education, Nathan earned a B.S. in Psychobiology from the University of California, Los Angeles.
What community service activity has meant the most to you?
My role as the Director of Community Service and Campus Beautification in my high school’s student council was a great experience for me. It was one of my first leadership experiences and I believe that this opportunity helped me develop my organizational and communicative skills. Through this role, I worked with UCLA Health and the Red Cross to organize multiple student blood drives that ultimately helped countless of people in need. I also organized a biweekly neighborhood cleanup after school, which served to create a stronger link between the students and their community, as well as ensure that our direct environment was clean. Through a campuswide recycling initiative, we were also able to promote campus cleanliness, environmental consciousness, and earn extra funds for student events. My youngest sister is a junior at the school and she tells me that many of these initiatives still exist, which is great to hear!
What is your academic focus? What sparked your interest in it?
I am currently pursuing the M.S. in Biotechnology degree, and I am specifically pursuing the BioBusiness degree track. Throughout my undergraduate studies, I had always planned to go to medical school. During my gap year, I had a unique opportunity to work for the Merage Institute’s international medtech fellowship program. I was able to work directly with 20 medtech executives, as well as participate in the fellowship myself. I became passionate about innovation in the life sciences industry, and decided to pursue a degree that could provide me with a practical business education, could develop my skills, and could open doors to life science industry leaders across the world. I want to help develop innovations that will better humanity, and I chose this degree because I believe that it is the first step in making that goal come true for me.
What advice would you give to future BGE students?
The biggest piece of advice I would give to future BGE students is to truly make the most out of what Georgetown has to offer. As a graduate student, you have access to all of the resources and the graduate student organizations on campus. Also, being in Washington, D.C., the school also has connections with key governmental institutions in our field such as the NIH, FDA, and the CDC. The DMV area is one of the largest life sciences and biotech hubs in the country, and there are countless events every year where one can go and network with industry leaders and professionals. The time at Georgetown will fly by, so my advice is to genuinely make an effort to get the most out of your time here.
What motivates you?
My main motivators are my parents. My parents immigrated to the United States and have worked together growing a family business for 25 years. As I’ve grown older, I’ve only begun to understand the weight of the sacrifices they’ve made to ensure that my sisters and I had all of the resources we could need to succeed. Even though they’d never ask for anything, I hope to make them proud.