08/28/2026
Student Spotlight 🔦
James Belanger, E ’25, biochemistry and bioengineering, completed two co-ops—one in a research lab and one in a hospital. With medical school beginning this summer, Belanger hopes to build a career that integrates his passions for both medicine and engineering.
Outside the classroom and the clinic, Belanger explored intramural sports—basketball, kickball, and more—finding both good exercise and a welcoming social community in the process. “I think there is something for everyone,” he says, “and if there is something you want to try, doing it through Northeastern is definitely the way to do it.” He also served as an emergency medical technician for Beauport Ambulance Service, responding to emergency calls and routine patient transfers. The mix of high-stakes moments and everyday care gave him a well-rounded introduction to patient-facing work, and he recommends the experience to anyone considering a career in medicine.
Belanger’s advice to current students is straightforward: try everything. “You’re not going to know what you’re into unless you give it a go,” he says—a principle he has lived by. He never would have discovered his interest in engineering had he not walked into Cornerstone his first semester. He encourages students to resist the “tunnel vision” that can take hold in a rigorous academic environment and to experiment broadly with both coursework and extracurriculars. Exploring your interests, he believes, “is the best thing you can do for yourself” as a student.
Belanger is now an M1 at Brown University's Alpert Medical School. We are incredibly proud of you, and wish you all the best!
Read the whole story here → https://coe.northeastern.edu/news/engineering-in-the-world-of-medicine/
Check out his program here → https://bioe.northeastern.edu/academics/undergraduate-studies/bs-bioc/
