Commencement is nearing for the Northeastern College of Science undergraduate class of 2024! This year, at the College of Science graduation, Sacha Sergent will be speaking to her fellow graduates and leaving them with a final hoorah. To get in the excitement of commencement, I interviewed Sacha to learn about her time at Northeastern and what she plans on doing after.
Sacha was born in Paris, France and grew up in Westchester, New York. When she was 8 years old, she toured schools in Boston with her older brother and fell in love with the city.
“I have so many happy memories of us walking around the Faneuil Hall area, taking pictures of all the pumpkins on brownstones, and walking around Kenmore,” she says.
From then on, she knew she wanted to live in Boston.
In high school, Sacha realized she wanted to apply to medical school post-grad but knew there was a chance that she’d change her mind in four years. A school that would give her the opportunity to consider as many options as possible became a priority, and after looking at other schools, it became clear that Northeastern was the place for her.
At Northeastern, Sacha studied Behavioral Neuroscience with her favorite classes being Behavioral Endocrinology; Culture, Tech, and the Future of Health; AI in Health and Wellness; Behavioral Genetics; and Psychopharmology.
Her first co-op was as a medical scribe at South End Community Health Center:
“I loved being a part of the medical team, getting to see doctors go through the medical decision-making process, and getting to interact with patients (especially kiddos!”
Sacha switched it up for her second co-op where she worked in clinical trial development at Prime Medicine in Cambridge. At Prime Medicine, she researched Friedreich’s ataxia, a rare, genetic neurodegenerative disease. She also worked in clinical trial operations and medical writing for their recently FDA cleared Investigational New Drug application for the treatment of Chronic Granulomatous Disease, a rare immunological disease.
Aside from her academic pursuits and professional accomplishments, Sacha was involved in student organizations at Northeastern. Since 2021, Sacha has been a part of CHAARG (Changing Health, Attitudes, and Actions to Recreate Girls), a women’s health and wellness organization that helps students “find their fit” through weekly workouts with local group fitness studios/instructors so members can try different types of movement, as well as socials to build community on campus. She first served as CHAARG’s event coordinator (‘21-’22) then became the club’s president (‘22-’23). This past year, Sacha worked on CHAARG’s national team, managing four executive teams comprised of 35 leaders from other schools around the country. Sacha also taught over 300 group fitness classes at Northeastern!
She has also been involved with NEURONS, Northeastern’s neuroscience interest group. She served as the club’s Public Relations Officer (‘21-’22) and Vice President (‘22-’23. ‘23-’24) where she helped put together last year and this year’s Brain Awareness Weeks, with the themes “Imaging Neuroscience” and “AI in Neuroscience”.
After graduating, Sacha plans on returning to Prime Medicine to continue her work in clinical trial operations and medical writing, leaving behind words of wisdom to her former self: “Follow your passions, lean into your curiosity”.
Congratulations Sacha, and good luck with your future!
