We are an award-winning department with much to be thankful for, and not a few of us would include Ryan Borem, whose generosity is an example to all. Jenny Bourne, editor
How did you choose Clemson?
My family moved to the Clemson area from Los Angeles, CA, before I graduated from high school. However, when I did graduate from West-Oak High School, I didn’t have the money or the grades for scholarships to attend college, so I had to look for an alternative path. This is what led me to the U.S. Army. Once I finished my six-year enlistment, the Post- 9/11 GI Bill allowed me to pursue my college degree. This is when I had to decide between my two favorite colleges: UCLA and Clemson. I was torn between the two, but deep down I knew Clemson was my #1 because of their deeply embedded traditions. Go Tigers!!
Why did you decide on bioengineering?
The truth was I didn’t have any idea what bioengineering was when I showed up to Clemson. All I knew at the time was that I wanted to go to college and, maybe one day, medical school. So, my wife and I had just moved from Colorado to Clemson, and I was showing her around Clemson’s amazing campus. This is when divine intervention led me to Ms. Karen Thompson. We were walking by an empty Holtzendorff Hall (General Engineering building), and somehow, she just knew to stop us and ask what major I would be pursing at Clemson. At the time I didn’t have any particular major in mind, and this is when she directed me towards bioengineering. Some people always knew they wanted to be an engineer, but I was not one of those people. Truthfully, at the time I wasn’t even sure of what an engineer was. However, I am thankful every day for her stopping us and putting me on this path that I continue to enjoy more and more every day.
What surprised you about Clemson?
The first thing that surprised me was how smart all my classmates were. It just seemed like everything clicked for them. This was a hard adjustment for me and it took a lot of late nights trying to keep up. Luckily, I met my good friend Mitch Scull while an undergraduate. He assisted me along the way, and I am extremely grateful for both him and my wife for continuing to push me to never give up.
Who has had the biggest impact on your life?
The person who has impacted me the most is Dr. Jeremy Mercuri. At the time that I met him, he was a new professor, and I was just a random student he taught in his first class here in the bioengineering department. I like to believe the reason he asked me to join his research lab is that he saw something in me that I didn’t know I had at the time, while others might say that since he was new, he probably just needed people to fill the space. Either way, with his guidance over the past 3.5 years, we have been able to accomplish so many milestones that I never even knew existed. Together, we have been able to take a conceptual tissue engineering idea for spinal repair and turn it into a project that has led to multiple publications and conference proceedings, multiple awards from various bioengineering societies, a U.S. and an international patent application. These experiences laid the foundation for my National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowship.
What advice would you give prospective students?
Give Clemson a chance. It is small, and it is in the middle of nowhere, but the people in this area make you feel like you’re home and with a family you never knew you had. Also, you will never find a better graduate coordinator and friend in the world than Ms. Maria Torres. Lastly, have you not seen our Football Team??
