Students from Keck Graduate University (KGI) are known for the various interests they pursue outside the world of bioscience. Yet for one KGI student, a national women’s magazine publication had its interest on him. Twenty-three-year-old Brian Watkins received a pleasant surprise during the summer when he found out that he was named Cosmopolitan magazine’s 2007 Ohio Bachelor of the Year but later was the recipient of even better news when he was announced as the publication’s national Bachelor of the Year. The recognitions bring a laugh from the KGI student, as he did not find out that he was nominated for the annual competition until he was informed that he had won as representative of the state of Ohio. “My sister nominated me without telling me,” Mr. Watkins explained. “One morning I was at work and I got a call from Cosmo. I looked at the caller ID and did not recognize the number so I didn’t answer. They told me that I had been selected as the winner and that I had 3 weeks to do an interview and submit photos for the magazine.” As a result of being named the winner, Mr. Watkins flew out to New York 3 weeks ago and joined the other 49 Cosmopolitan bachelors representing US states. While there, the bachelors were featured on television shows such as Good Morning America, Entertainment Tonight and Access Hollywood. A party was also held in New York for the bachelor participants and Mr. Watkins was officially recognized as the magazine’s Bachelor of the Year and presented with a $10,000 check. Yet in talking to the KGI student, one would think that he did not win the award or was even nominated for it. The second-year graduate student is humble at his recent selection while being more focused on completing his final year at KGI and moving forward with his endeavors in business and bioscience. “I’m considering going into consulting after I graduate,” Mr. Watkins said. “I’ve heard that it’s a great experience and almost like another MBA program in itself—except you get paid a full salary for it.” A native of Kent, Ohio, Mr. Watkins earned his undergraduate degree in biochemistry from Hiram College in 2006. The graduate student came upon KGI while searching online for potential graduate schools to attend and found it to be a place that fit his interests. “I always had an interest in sciences and wanted to go through medical school at one point,” Mr. Watkins recalled. “But in college, I decided that I liked the hard science. Then I found I had an interest in the business side of it toward the end of my [undergraduate] college tenure.” Mr. Watkins is currently part of a diverse student body at KGI, a graduate institution that attracts students both nationally and internationally to Claremont. According to Gary Cohen, KGI Jacobs visiting professor of biotechnology law and ethics, the Ohio native is a complement to the school’s student population. “Like most of his classmates, [Brian] is energetic, intelligent, personable and just a likeable student,” Mr. Cohen said. “He’s a pleasure to have in class and I think his classmates feel the same way. He is clearly very smart and talented and is likely to have a terrific career in the bio industry. The students we have at KGI are from all over the world and they are a remarkable group of people.” Taking advantage of opportunities that have been afforded him through attending KGI, Mr. Watkins interned at IntelliDOT in San Diego during the summer and is currently working with 3 other KGI students in a Team Master’s project with Amlin Pharmaceuticals that serves as a thesis. The Team Master’s project puts KGI students in different companies where the graduate students then help the company deal with a current issue by collaborative means. KGI students working collaboratively on projects is a regular occurrence at the school and one that Mr. Watkins sees as being practically beneficial to the students. “The education here is team-oriented and that has helped a lot,” he said. “At many undergrads, the focus in mostly individual. Here, you are in a team atmosphere and that helps to better prepare you for the workplace. Also, the professors here have been in the industry and that adds a lot.” As for where he will be after KGI, Mr. Watkins believes that opportunity will be what drives his decision. “I’m very open about it,” Mr. Watkins said. “I’d like to live in San Diego but I’m definitely open location-wise. Opportunity would be the more important consideration.”
—Landus Rigsby
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November 7, 2007
November 7, 2007