With the desire to stay close to home, but to also attend an R1 university with an amazing engineering program, Kanisha Desai says UConn was the perfect choice. Kanisha has been very involved, from serving as treasurer of the Tau Beta Pi engineering honor society and serving as a TA for multiple courses, all while working in a lab researching ways to connect intracellular and intercellular viral models for the Hepatitis B virus, her advice is for other students to also take advantage of as many opportunities as possible while at UConn. Kanisha will be joining the MIT Master’s in Chemical Engineering Practice Program this fall, with hopes of becoming a process engineer in the pharmaceutical industry and ultimately a life sciences consultant.
Why did you choose UConn?
I decided to go to UConn because I wanted to be close to home while also attending a larger school with various types of opportunities available. I really wanted to attend a program that had many research opportunities as I knew early on, I wanted to go to graduate school. Therefore, UConn was perfect for me as it is an “R1” research university and has an amazing engineering program.
What’s your major or field of study, and what drew you to it?
My major is Chemical Engineering. Like many in my major, I initially had an interest in chemistry and mathematics while in high school and had to decide between majoring in Chemistry and Chemical Engineering. However, I knew that Chemical Engineering was for me once I learned that Chemistry involved small-scale work, while Chemical Engineering would take the small-scale set-up and turn it into a larger manufacturing process. Chemical Engineering suited my interests as my goal is to enter the health care field by working in the scale-up and manufacturing of pharmaceutical products.
Did you have a favorite professor or class?
My favorite professor is my PI, Dr. Ranjan Srivastava. He took me into his lab at the start of my senior year and has become a great mentor to me. He has great advice regarding anything from classes to video games! My favorite class was Introduction to Bioseparations, where I was able to learn a lot of the theory behind the work I did in my internships.
What activities were you involved in as a student?
For the past two years, I have been the treasurer of Tau Beta Pi, an engineering honor society. The E-board and I have been working at revitalizing the organization after its lapse during the pandemic. Additionally, I have been an undergraduate TA for Introduction to Thermodynamics I, Chemical Engineering Analysis, and Process Kinetics where I have been able to help guide the Chemical Engineering Class of 2025 through complex concepts. I have also been involved in research for the past year and my current research involves connecting intracellular and intercellular viral models for Hepatitis B virus.
What are your plans after graduation/receiving your degree?
After graduation, I will be attending MIT’s Masters in Chemical Engineering Practice Program! My goal is to become a process engineer in the pharmaceutical industry and ultimately become a life sciences consultant.
How has UConn prepared you for the next chapter in life?
One of the biggest ways that UConn has prepared me for the next chapter in life is providing opportunities to be a leader/mentor. Through being an undergraduate TA, I developed important “soft” skills such as communicating effectively, creating encouraging environments, and mentoring. In addition, I had many opportunities to work with other students which taught me how to work with people that are very different from me in an effective way. These are skills that could never be learned from a textbook, yet are vital to having a successful career.
Any advice for incoming students?
Take advantage of all the opportunities available at UConn. Students benefit from events like the career fair, which can help with networking and making connections early. This allows students to jumpstart their careers early and even discover their true passions before entering industry.
What’s one thing everyone should do during their time at UConn?
Go to the Dairy Bar! UConn has some of the best ice cream in Connecticut.
