Posters2009

An Exhibition of Knowledge - A Celebration of Youth Development

Posters2009 Photo Gallery

On August 13, 2009, thirty Biotech Partners interns from Berkeley and Oakland Technical High Schools proudly displayed posters of their summer internship experiences during Posters2009, the annual Biotech Academy student recognition ceremony presented by Biotech Partners. “The Biotech Academy…has helped me grow not only as a student, but into a responsible young adult. It has given me the opportunity to see myself in the real world,” said Gina Mendoza, a senior at Berkeley High School. Gina credits the mentors she worked with this summer to leading her and her classmates onto positive paths that previously seemed unimaginable. Because of Biotech Partners, Gina and 29 other local students are now on track toward a career in the sciences.

Posters2009 was hosted by Oakland Technical High School and included our first ever Silent Auction. The event was generously underwritten by Sartorius Stedim Biotech, a leading provider of cutting-edge equipment and services for the development, quality assurance and production processes of the biopharmaceutical industry. Event sponsorship and inkind donations were also provided by Wells Fargo Bank, World Centric Biocompostables, Palate Pleasures Catering, Bayer HealthCare and Mark Estes Photography.

The annual poster session serves as a celebratory closing ceremony to honor each student’s summer internship experience of education and personal growth. Student’s classroom and workplace learning is integrated into their presentations and a judging competition encourages their creativity as they present to prominent judges and guests from the political arena, industry, institutions of higher education and community-based organizations.

Posters2009 attendees represented all affiliated “partner” groups: students’ families, educators, industry representatives, foundations, mentors, elected officials and community leaders. Special guests included: Darryl Moore, Council Member, City of Berkeley; Maha Ibrahim, Senior Field Representative, Assembly Member Nancy Skinner; Katy Korsmeyer, PhD, President, Bay Area Biotechnology Education Consortium; Scott Lucas, Field Representative, Assembly Member Sandre’ Swanson; Jason Overman, District Representative, State Senator Ellen Corbett; Pedro Rosado, District Representative, State Senator Loni Hancock; and Julie Sinai, Chief of Staff to Berkeley Mayor Tom Bates.

Sheilagh Andujar, Principal of Oakland Tech, welcomed the guests and spoke of her pride in all of the students, but particularly those from the inaugural Biotech Academy class at Oakland Tech.

Keynote Speaker Roberto Hernandez, 1994 Biotech Partners program graduate and now a Supervisor at Bayer HealthCare, moved guests as he described the impact this program has had on his family: his sister Griselda is an alumna working at Bayer, his younger brother is currently completing his Bioscience Career Institute certificate (BP’s community college program), and his youngest sister Elvia was among the interns that night and had just completed a summer internship at Bayer.

Other highlights of the evening included speeches by interns Gina Mendoza of Berkeley High School (BHS) and Arliss Daniels of Oakland Tech, presentation of a letter of commendation to Biotech Partners from Governor Schwarzenneger, and presentation of a Certificate of Recognition from The City of Berkeley proclaiming August 13th Biotech Partners Day and sighting Biotech Partners as the model program used to create similar city vocational programs.

Outstanding Mentor Awards were presented to Yvonne Harris of EBMUD (East Bay Municipal Utility District), and H. Jacqui Miller of Kaiser Permanente Oakland’s Anesthesia Department for their long-time support of and participation in the BP intern program.

The evening highlight was the presentation of Biotech Partners certificates to interns by BP staff, Berkeley High Biotech Academy teacher Amy Hansen, Oakland Tech Biotech Academy teacher Erin Beitel, and OT Principal Sheilagh Andujar. Certificates of Recognition from State Senators Ellen Corbett and Loni Hancock, and Assembly members Nancy Skinner and Sandre’ Swanson were also presented to each student commending them on their participation in the program. The event culminated with the announcement of the winners of the poster competition: Kao Saechao for Most Educational Poster, Kailen Palmer for Best Oral Presentation, Lucy King for Most Creative Poster, and Giakhiem Nguyen for the Best Poster.

Biotech Partners’ first ever Silent Auction was also a great success, generating an outpouring of support from local and national businesses including Southwest Airlines, LucasFilm Ltd, Anderson Valley Wineries, and many more (link here for a full list of donors), raising a total of $4,510 in support of Biotech Partners’ program activities.

Biotech Partners Board and staff would also like to thank the numerous volunteers and alumni who helped make Posters2009 such a memorable experience.

Though the evening is a memory now, the sense of fulfillment and accomplishment students felt, along with the respect and attention that the community bestowed upon them, will remain for a lifetime.