Rachel Takahashi: STEM Goddess in Sunny San Diego and the Importance of Nerds in Scientific Fields

Rachel Takahashi has been my idol probably from high school, only I didn’t know it then. She has always been the independent, chic, intelligent older peer that I’ve totally admired. To make things even better, she’s a woman of STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics). As a nerd, I understand and recognize the value Science and Technology has within the geek and nerd community. I feel as though it is incredibly vital to encourage more women, especially women of color, to explore these fields. I had the amazing opportunity to interview her via email, so please enjoy! Age: 23 Area of Study: Bioengineering Black Nerd Problems: Tell us a bit about yourself. Rachel: I grew up in Northern Virginia where I took an interest in math, science, and design. I decided to pursue a degree in biomedical engineering at Virginia Commonwealth University since I believed it would be an interesting fusion between the three. After graduating with a Bachelor of Science, even though I knew my education was in-depth and fulfilling, I felt that I still did not have enough connections/did not live in the right region to break into the biotech industry.

That is why I decided to get a Master of Engineering in bioengineering from University of California, San Diego. San Diego is the largest biotech hub in the US so it has really given me so many opportunities to break into the biotech industry. I am currently a design intern at a medical devices startup called Cognionics where I design/red…