What inspired you to pursue your current field of study/research?
I always wanted to be in science, and I knew I wanted to go medical school. However, I always wanted to follow my interests and not just do something for the sake of resumé building and advancing my next step. I found neuroscience my second year at Northeastern—something I hadn’t considered. But it gave me a different perspective and allowed me to find a specific field that aligned with my interests. I loved the classes, and I ultimately would end up taking other classes for the pre-med track.
Have you participated in any co-op or study-abroad programs? How was that experience?
I have completed three co-ops in the biotech industry, which I didn’t know existed before coming to Northeastern. I did a directed study here as well under Dr. Heather Brenhouse, which was such a valuable experience after taking her class. My co-ops gave me the ability to see what the science world had to offer outside of pursuing a PhD and medical school. Each co-op, one at Xilio, one at Alnylam, and one at Moderna taught me how to be myself in the workforce and how to follow my interests.
My co-op at Xilio will always hold a place in my heart because it was my first time going to work outside of anything small I did back home. It gave me relationships that I will hold onto both personal and professional. It gave me a sense of what a positively energetic and goal-driven industry biotech is. My co-op at Alnylam showed me what I could do with my degree after college. This was where I saw and grew my first neuron. The work I did here was some that I am most proud of as a student. My co-op at Moderna gave me the sense of being a scientist. My manager challenged me and gave me the independence to carve out my own path and I am eternally grateful for him and the things he taught me.
What kind of extracurricular activities are you involved in?
Some extracurricular activities I am involved in include the Neurons club which I joined my freshman year. I loved having a club for neuroscience, call me a nerd, but it really helped me decide my major. I am a part of the Behavioral Neuroscience Honor Society and the Psychology Honor Society which I am proud to be a part of and worked hard for.
I was involved with the Husky Blood Initiative which I felt had an impact on the community as a blood donor myself, and AMWA was a great club to meet other pre-med students. Recently I have become a Peer Tutor which has been so exciting. I enjoy meeting all the students around me and being able to help guide them in their coursework or in just things I have done such as co-op or opportunities I have found. It allows me to keep up with the content for med school as well as gives me an opportunity to teach and connect with others which I cherish.
What has been the highlight of your experience in COS so far?
The highlight of my experience in COS so far has been changing my major. I came into college as a biochemistry major, and I soon discovered this was not for me and I didn’t see myself studying it for four, now five years. I went undecided for a semester and shopped around but ultimately chose behavioral neuroscience. This is a highlight for me because I found courses I have never even thought were possible.
I was able to take psychology courses and neuroscience courses all in one. It gave me the opportunity to pick up a nutrition minor. I took classes that were not typical med school classes and led me down a path that not many might be exposed too. I am now so grateful to this major because it has never been boring, difficult sure, but every day I am happy to be in class and learning new things.
It also led me to my second co-op, and I was able to see what this major could do for me outside of university, which not many people are fortunate enough to get. I was able to grow my own neurons and apply what I learned in class to a job.
Have you had any professors or mentors who really made an impact on you?
I could highlight many individuals in my time here at Northeastern, but I will name a few who have truly supported and inspired me. First and foremost, I would like to thank and acknowledge my advisor, Vincent Capone. Without Vincent I don’t know where I would be. He always encouraged me to use my voice and make choices that were in my best interest. He gave me a listening ear when I needed it, but he also gave me a friend who I knew would support me through it all.
Dr. Brenhouse has inspired me and gave me the opportunity to work in her lab; after taking her class I knew she would be a great mentor. I cherish the time in her class and her lab because she propelled me into continued neuroscience research and is just always someone, I know I can go to for support or questions.
Dr. Ingemi has challenged me. I don’t know if I ever appreciated it enough being in her class, she was someone who helped me think big and think outside the box. She challenged me in her class, and it helped me feel super accomplished when I did well. I was also honored to be able to pick her brain about her career path and how she got there – which helped me carve my way a little bit.
Dr. Melloni never failed to make me laugh in class and he was one of the best lectures I have had. Specifically, his Psychopharmacology class was one of my favorite classes of all time, and I would take it ten more times if I could.
Lastly, I would like to highlight Dr. Weaver who I had the pleasure of taking a class with. She made such an impact on me because I never felt like just another student. She knew your name and she knew your story. Her class was never boring, and she challenged me to think of things differently.
All these individuals, among others, have created the student I am today and without their classes or their guidance I don’t know if I would be as confident in my choices or my knowledge as I am today. They all deserve my undying thank you.
Where do you see your field of study/research taking you? (i.e., dream job, next steps such as a graduate program)
Next steps have been evolving ever since I stepped onto campus. My path right now is medical school. However, I am also open to other options. I plan to take a gap year and get a job potentially Scribing. However, I am open to graduate school, and honestly potentially going back to industry research as well. If I have learned one thing these last five years is that plans change and you change with them, and if you honor that change you can never go wrong. I will not force a future path, and if it’s in medicine, which I hope it is, then I will go in with an open mind and find a path that is most interesting for me – right now that is still neuroscience and neurology. However, if it is not in medicine, I have been open to getting my PhD or just going right into industry again. One thing that Northeastern has given me is options and I know I will find my way to wherever I am going.
What kind of impact do you hope to make after you leave Northeastern?
One impact I hope to make after I leave Northeastern is one of growth. I want to continue to grow as an individual and as a young scientist. I want to grow into a physician who will make an impact on their patients and their families lives. I want to take what I have learned here at Northeastern and apply it to the outside world. I want to continue to grow my network and keep those connections I have established.
I am not the same person I was when I came to Northeastern, I have grown, so I want to attack the world with a new perspective, and I truly believe that I have the tools and skills to do so. I hope to be a mentor to others and allow them to bring their questions, ideas, and thoughts to me. I feel like I have not been a conventional student, specifically in medicine I didn’t always check the boxes in order and in timeline. However, I know I will end up wherever I am meant to be.
After Northeastern, I hope to imprint on the lives of others, whether that be through direct interaction as a physician or through the scientific community in research.
Sophia Mastroianni ’25, Behavioral Neuroscience
What advice would you give students interested in pursuing a degree in science?
My mother told me when I had to make my first big decision here at school, not to rush my life. Advice I would give students interested in science would be to let go of timelines and constraints and ideas of what you should be. Let go of comparison and greed to get there first. I would tell students that, when I came to Northeastern, I wanted to graduate in four years and go straight to medical school. However, my timeline was not supposed to be that, and if I had forced it, I would have missed out on many opportunities that have modeled me as a student and an individual. You do not have to have it all figured out, I certainly didn’t, and I still don’t know if I do.
But the beauty of science is it is always changing, one day coffee saves your life, the other it kills you quicker. When you let go of what boxes you need to check and what you need to do for your resumé, in that space is where you find yourself. You find your interests and what drives you. You find what excites you.
Finding out what you like is just as important as finding out what you don’t like. When you allow yourself the opportunity to discover and explore you find a path you didn’t know existed. When you fail, you take a breath, and you regroup. Then you fight to keep trying. There is no great book that falls from the sky that tells you who you are supposed to be, what you’re supposed to do. It doesn’t tell you whether medical school or a PhD is right for you. As you progress through your education you make decisions and things change, timelines change. However, you eventually get to where you need to be.
As someone who isn’t quite there yet, I can say firsthand that every step you take is a step in the right direction to who you will become and what you will ultimately contribute to the science community.
