At Mothers’ Milk Bank Northeast, we’re fortunate to regularly work alongside talented students who bring curiosity, compassion, and a passion for nutrition and public health to our lab. Recently, we had the opportunity to mentor two exceptional interns—Katherine and Siya—as they developed real-world STEM skills while helping support some of our most vulnerable babies.
Katherine, a biology student at Tufts University, first connected with us at a campus career fair. Siya, a senior at Boston University studying Behavior & Health Sciences with a minor in Public Health, joined us as part of her required practicum experience. She’s now preparing for graduate study in human nutrition—with plans to continue her education at Columbia University.
While their paths to the milk bank were different, both became part of a mission-driven effort guided by rigorous standards and careful oversight. Together, they helped support the careful processes that ensure donor milk is safe for even the most fragile babies.
From logging and organizing donations to supporting daily lab processes, their roles required precision, consistency, and strong attention to detail—core STEM skills they’ll carry into future careers.
In Their Words: Building STEM Skills in the Lab
What brought you to the milk bank?
Siya: “I’ve always been interested in maternal and child nutrition, especially for vulnerable populations,” Siya shared. “I want to work in malnutrition, and being here made that feel real. It’s one thing to study it, but another to see how something like donor milk can support families during really stressful, uncertain times.”
Katherine: “I heard about the milk bank at a career fair and it immediately connected to my interests in biology and nutrition. Once I learned more about the process, I knew I wanted to be part of it.”
Both interns were quickly immersed in hands-on work supporting the flow of donor milk through the lab.
What did your day-to-day work look like?
Siya: “I spent a lot of time logging milk, organizing it, and making sure everything was tracked correctly,” Siya explained. “It really taught me that there’s no room for error. You’re dealing with a baby’s nutrition, so every detail matters.”
Katherine saw that same level of care in every step.
Katherine: “There are so many parts to the process that I didn’t expect. Even something like making sure bottles are sealed or labeled correctly is really important. It made me more aware of how much precision goes into something that seems simple on the surface.”
What surprised you most about the experience?
Katherine: “I was surprised by how much happens behind the scenes,” Katherine said. “You don’t realize how much work and coordination it takes to get donor milk ready.”
Siya pointed to something else: the environment itself.
Siya: “At past internships, I often felt like I was just there to help out. Here, I actually felt part of the team. People took the time to explain things, answer questions, and make sure I understood why the work mattered.”
How does this connect to what’s next for you?
Siya: “This experience really reinforced my interest in working with underserved populations,” Siya said. “I hope to work in India one day, focusing on infant malnutrition. Seeing a model like this—where systems are in place to support families—was really rewarding.”
For Katherine, the takeaway was just as lasting.
Katherine: “It’s made me more interested in nutrition and healthcare overall. I’ve learned how important safety, accuracy, and uncompromising standards are, and I know that’s something I’ll carry with me.”
In a word—how would you describe the experience?
“Enriching,” Siya said. “Eye-opening,” Katherine added.
Looking Ahead
Experiences like these are about more than a single semester. They help build a future workforce grounded in real-world application, critical thinking, and care. We’re proud to create meaningful, hands-on opportunities for students while strengthening the systems that families rely on every day.
Katherine and Siya, thank you for the energy, curiosity, and perspective you brought to our team. We can’t wait to see what you do next.
