Mariah Hermann

Background

About Mariah Hermann

I have an educational background in neurobiology and behavioral neuroscience, and a strong passion for connecting with others, helping those in need, and finding innovative ways to provide equal opportunities and promote healthy work environments. For over three years I worked as a registered behavior therapist, providing one-to-one play therapy to kids with autism, cerebral palsy, and other developmental delays. I absolutely adored this line of work, teaching valuable life and self-help skills to developing minds, helping non-speaking kids and their caregivers, peers, and educators to communicate with one another, and connecting families with relevant community and online resources. The unfortunate reality of our society means that I would be stuck at an entry-level position in this field without furthering my education, which is just not a financial possibility for me. In order to grow and challenge myself, as well as set myself up for financial success, I knew I needed to pivot — so I decided to go back to my STEM roots! I’ve always particularly loved genetics and cellular biology, and in 2020 I discovered that the behavior therapy company I worked for actually had our clients send in samples for genetic sequencing before developing their support plan. Immediately I began looking for jobs that involved nucleotide or peptide manufacturing, and in 2021 I was provided such an opportunity. I have since been thoroughly trained in preparative and analytical high-pressure liquid chromatography, UV/Vis spectrophotometry, and GMP/GDP standards, and am currently a chemist working at Illumina — most likely, the sequencer that was used to sequence my clients’ genomes was manufactured at Illumina! So I’ve really come full-circle in that regard, and every day I get to work with beautiful dyes (in white light!) with an extremely knowledgeable and hard-working team. I thrive in the fast-paced and detail-oriented manufacturing environment, but am always open to opportunities that get me back to my roots of community, teaching, and childcare!