Strategic Connections

A Community Continued

An empowering environment makes Merck a popular employment destination for alumni and students alike.

Computer science major Jared Donnelly ’24 has been thinking since his first year at Stevens about the ways technology can be harnessed to support the healthcare industry and improve people’s lives.

So, when a friend suggested he apply for an internship at the Rahway, New Jersey, headquarters of pharmaceutical giant Merck & Co., Donnelly jumped at the chance. What he hadn’t realized was the depth of the company’s connection with Stevens.

“When I arrived at Merck I was surrounded by Stevens people,” says Donnelly, who was recently elected to represent young alumni on the Stevens Board of Trustees. “Eight of my fellow interns, as well as the people who interviewed me, and even a lot of the full-time staff turned out to be from Stevens. So, it felt like a community continued.”

Today, top companies like Merck use metrics to determine which schools they continue to engage with. And what has kept Merck so deeply engaged is the proven high performance of Stevens students over time.
Cherena WalkerExecutive Director of the Stevens Career Center

Cherena Walker, executive director of the Stevens Career Center, says Merck has been fully engaged with Stevens for more than a decade. Every year at least 30 alumni employed by Merck participate in networking events and one-on-one meetings with students. And they are an invaluable mentoring resource, including supporting students working on senior design projects.

Portrait of Angelica TorresAngelica Torres ’20 M.Eng ’21, product analyst, Merck Research Laboratories IT

“What drew me to Merck and keeps me here is the culture,” says Angelica Torres ’20 M.Eng. ’21, who joined Merck after earning her bachelor’s degree in software engineering and a master’s in systems analytics. “The company fosters continuous learning, growth and development, so it’s an empowering environment. And you are definitely encouraged to bring your whole self to work, not to fit into some corporate mold.”

Donnelly is now working at Merck full time as a software engineer — commuting with close friend and roommate Ethan Kleschinsky ’24, who was hired to start at Merck the same day — and he fully concurs.

“Merck is on the cutting edge of technology,” he says. “So after being part of a student body as dedicated to research as we are at Stevens, it’s amazing to be able to continue doing that thought-provoking work. But as much as I want to do great things in the world, it’s even more amazing to feel as welcomed into that world as I do at Merck.”

Joan Cramer