圣扎迦利丹麦 is about to complete a personal goal that he’s been working toward 七年多了. 尽管个人健康问题让他无法完成 a degree, he’ll soon be able to walk across the stage at the Montgomery County Community 今年的大学毕业典礼作为一名大学毕业生.   

这位25岁的 生物技术 major from Lafayette Hill has been named MCCC’s Commencement speaker this year. 丹麦的 message to the Class of 2024 will be about persevering, even when the deck feels stacked 有时会反对你.

“Everybody at Montco has a unique story, there are plenty of people here who have probably gone through things that far eclipse my own experiences, and I just want to connect with them and show that not only have I also been through things but tell them, hey, you were able to accomplish this despite your trials and tribulations. 我想承认这一点.”

克服障碍

Denmark, who began studying 在MCCC in 2017, never wavered from his goal of completing his degree program, it just took a bit longer than he anticipated at the start.

“I originally came to Montco because as a child I was physically very sick and unfortunately 不得不从高中退学，”他说. “我最终拿到了普通教育水平证书，还有蒙科 felt like a very accommodating place in order to transition back into the educational 课程.”

丹麦的旅程就是从这里开始的. 让他的身体重新接受完整的课程 required to complete his degree, however, was too physically taxing, requiring him 从学校休息一下.

“I got a job to get some structure in my life and then came back and they were very 通融，”他说. “他们想帮助我成功.”

Diagnosed with chronic pancreatitis at just 7 years old, 丹麦的 condition caused 他腹部剧痛. 他与病魔抗争了八年，终于病入膏肓 当他九年级的时候. 那学年的大部分时间他都在医院，直到 his family found a specialized surgeon in Minnesota to remove his pancreas. 而 the surgery was a success, there were still a lot of problems that followed him afterward.

“It caused my permanent departure from school for a while,” 他说. 他也成为了 a diabetic because without a pancreas, the body can no longer produce insulin.

起初，他的糖尿病很难控制. “我当时脑子不太清醒 空间. I had severe post-traumatic stress disorder after years of being ill,” 他说. “因此，我没有照顾好自己. 这就是我失败的地方 源于.”

Once he took control of his physical health, he was able to begin to make progress 在MCCC.

Utilizing resources like the Testing Center helped Denmark take the time he needed to complete assignments and “facilitate my way back into the educational mind 空间.”

“它帮助我走到了现在的位置，”他说. 丹麦甚至最终获得了院长奖 列表.

成功的工具

Denmark chose 生物技术 as a major because “I essentially am a 生物技术 story,” 他说.

“As a diabetic, needing insulin, having pancreatitis, I was on a feeding tube, I was also on a PICC line, which is essentially a permanent IV, because you can’t eat or 摄取任何营养，”他说. “生物技术真的是我生活的一部分 story, and it’s really given me the motivation to continue to pursue that career and 帮助那些和我有相似经历的人. 我觉得是bt365体育备用网站给了我工具 在这方面取得成功.”

During his time as an MCCC student, Denmark participated in the Merck Challenge. 的 event was a col实验室oration among four 生物技术 students, two 计算机科学 两名学生 工程科学 students who were tasked to work together to prove whether automation through a robotic arm in 生物技术 is more accurate and efficient than human performance.

“这是一个很棒的现实场景，”丹麦说. “它提供了很多互动 你可能会在实验室里找到，这显示了bt365体育备用网站的人脉.”

的 group proved automation is better than human effort in terms of accuracy in the 实验室.

“Automation is the future of where this field is heading,” 他说. “这让我觉得 兴奋. 这表明这个领域在不断发展. 随着自动化的发展 tasks, it leaves the people of the company to do other tasks like brainstorming to solve a certain problem, continuing research, and it will increase efficiency of the 过程也是如此.”

生物技术 Associate Professor Margaret Bryans had nothing but praise for 丹麦的 在教室里工作.

“Zach is one of a kind, he’s a high-achieving student who always remains upbeat no matter the challenge, and he is universally liked by his peers,” s他说. “我很高兴。 proud of what he has achieved in the 生物技术 program, I wish him continued success in his educational journey, and I look forward to the contributions he will make to 未来的领域.”   

尖端研究

毕业后，他将加入 纯种 参加学徒前培训计划. 作为生物医学研究的全球领导者， 纯种 offers specialized expertise in cancer, immunology, infectious disease, and 据其网站称，这是疫苗开发. 丹麦的学生将来自 area community colleges joining 纯种’s biomedical technician training program.

“You spend two weeks learning basic 实验室oratory techniques that you’ll be using in the 实验室, such as cell culture, good pipetting practices and then they send you off 去实验室待五个星期，”他说. “他们会把你送到一个学术实验室，在那里你 can work in a research setting, maybe at a school, then another five weeks at an industrial 实验室 where you can get a sense of the manufacturing processes that go on in real life. It really introduces you to real-world scenarios and give you an idea of what field 你想要追求.”

丹麦说，他希望从那里继续他的教育. 他希望能转学 to Thomas Jefferson University’s bachelor and masters of science two-year degree program 生物技术. 然后他想开始研究非阿片类药物的开发 止痛药.

“I was heavily addicted to my pain medication, and it ruled my life physically, mentally 精神上也是如此。. “我经历了一次又一次的痛苦，我想 finding a way to alleviate pain without that need for the dependence is where I want 奉献我的一生.”