Belmont Helps Science and Math Students Explore Career Opportunities

A culture of connection is giving students meaningful pathways between academics, mentorship and career success

For students, career and graduate school preparation often begins long before graduation. In Belmont’s College of Science and Mathematics (CSM), that preparation extends beyond lab work and problem sets to include meaningful relationships with alumni and industry partners who help students envision what’s possible after college.  

Through intentional networking opportunities, to emerging internships with local startups, the college makes a point to create pathways that connect students to professionals, experiences and careers. 

A Growing Network of Alumni Support 

In 2014, Belmont’s College of Arts and Sciences split into two separate colleges: the College of Liberal Arts and Social Sciences and the College of Science and Mathematics. Because CSM has only been an independent college for 12 years, their alumni base has historically been small in comparison to other colleges, making it difficult to identify ways alumni can connect with and mentor current students.  

The last three years, however, have sung a different tune. 

“Many of our alumni don’t even remember having their own building,” said Dr. Beth Bowman, assistant dean of the College of Science and Mathematics. “But as the years have gone on, a growing number of them want to help us expand. They’re very excited about everything from our growing numbers to the new research our students are doing.” 

Having a culture of mentorship within collegiate science and math programs is incredibly important. As scientific and technological advancements affect the workforce across industries, students are eager to hear from the professionals at the heart of research, innovation and, most importantly, hiring. CSM’s Career Day gives students a chance to talk with alumni about the industry is changing and what that means for their careers, both during panel discussions and at a mixer.  

Sophomore Devyn Prins, a Biochemistry major on the pre-med track, hoped that connecting with alumni at Career Day could expand her understanding of what it means to be a doctor. The advice she left with has since proved motivating as she works to finish the semester strong. 

“I left Career Day with a much better understanding of what it actually looks like to pursue medicine as a career,” Prins said. “Everyone gave such detailed advice and it helped me to understand that undergrad, medical school and working are each smaller parts of a much larger journey. Now I know how to make the most of my time in college.” 

As one of the more established alumni to attend the event, Danny Mai brings over 28 years of workforce experience and his institutional knowledge as a double Belmont graduate (computer science ‘95, M.B.A. ‘04). From his time as an undergraduate, Mai advocates strongly for students to connect with professors over common interests and shared passions.  

“As a commuter, it was hard to connect with my Belmont community, but through things like my job at the campus computer store, I learned more about computers outside the classroom with my peers and connected with the many professors and faculty whose computers we upgraded or supported,” Mai said. “I think whether you're on campus or commuting, the college experience is really what you make of it.” 

Mai was also tasked with building Belmont’s first website, which was completed shortly after the University connected to the internet in 1994. From there, he entered the workforce as an IT analyst, before eventually earning his M.B.A. in 2004 and becoming the Chief Operating Officer of United Methodist Communications.  

“I feel my Belmont education has well prepared me to lead and make a difference in our organization's culture over the years,” he shared. “Participating in the Career Day mentorship has also encouraged me to develop and renew a stronger mentorship culture within our own organization so we can continue to support our local student populations.” 

By serving students at the undergraduate level, CSM’s career connections puts students in proximity to alumni connections that can help define their postgrad careers.  

From Connection to Experience 

Professional connections are most impactful when they lead to real-world experience. For CSM’s current students, that experience can now come as exposure to one of Nashville’s fastest-growing Biotech startups, Phase Capital. Phase Capital acts as an early-stage venture capital firm, investing at the cutting-edge intersection of technology, biology and data science.  

Kavya Sharman, Phase Capital’s founder and managing partner, was one of Bowman’s graduate students during her time at Vanderbilt University. The pair stayed in touch after Sharman graduated and Bowman came to work at Belmont, leading to their current partnership. 

“There are a lot of amazing scientific developments happening in Nashville, especially at the university level and working at a startup means wearing several hats at once,” Sharman shared. “And I believe that Belmont is uniquely positioned to encourage students to explore these emerging paths because of their emphasis on early research and cross-college collaboration.” 

Sharman and Bowman began envisioning an internship that combined Sharman’s love for biomedical research and technology with Bowman’s passion for education and student opportunities. The result was a program where interns manage Phase Capital’s content strategy for their annual summit. To create factually accurate, attention-grabbing videos, interns can’t just be science-savvy, they must understand how to communicate complex ideas in a few short seconds to massive audiences.  

“We live in an age when having expertise in just one field isn’t enough,” Sharman said. “The more we encourage students to explore the intersections of their talents and passions, the more they’ll find positions at startups exciting instead of intimidating.”

Sharman’s first intern was Eiley Connell, a sophomore double majoring in neuroscience and songwriting. Connell stood out to Sharman because of her passion for communications in science.  

“I came to Belmont for the songwriting program, but picked up neuroscience because I knew I wanted to do things other than songwriting,” Connell said. “Both programs are amazing at Belmont, which is pretty rare, and getting connected to Phase Capital allowed me to use skills from both programs at once.” 

Connell’s internship responsibilities centered around Phase Capital’s annual summit, where startups from all over the country came to pitch new ideas. After receiving video footage of each speaker, panel and research session, she clipped together promotional videos highlighting each organization.  

“Creating digestible media plays more to my training as a songwriting major, but the process required a scientific background to be factually accurate,” Connell shared. “Even though I’ve never worked for a startup before, the process was incredibly fun.” 

As the internship moves into its second year, Connell hopes participation continues to grow. For Sharman, expanding access to startups for college graduates creates exciting employment opportunities at a time when jobs are being called into question.  

“We couldn’t have asked for a better student to help pilot the program,” Sharman said. “And as we expand, I can’t wait to see the positive impact Belmont graduates bring to the startup space.” 

Preparing for What’s Next 

As the College of Science and Mathematics continues to expand opportunities for connection and experiential learning, students are entering their professions with both a strong scientific foundation and a network ready to support their success. 

“College is a tremendous time for students to have the opportunity to explore their long-term goals and interests,” Bowman said. “I’m so grateful that we have alumni and community partners with a desire to best prepare students for the next step in their long-term career goals.” 

For the community surrounding CSM, every bit of investment into a student’s future success isn’t just a helpful connection, it’s a reminder that at its core, scientific advancement happens most in the communities committed to supporting it.