STEM Student Success Stories

When Kaitlyn Espinoza graduated from Citrus College in 2018, she left with an Associate of Science in Biotechnology, a certificate of achievement in biomanufacturing and the preparation to begin a career in an industry she had not previously known existed.

After graduation, Espinoza was hired by Grifols Biologicals, LLC in the environmental monitoring department. There, she learned to collect samples of water, viable and nonviable air, surfaces and gases. Her training also included working in both level III and level IV settings.

Her level IV training took place in the aseptic processing area, where vials of medication were actively being filled. Espinoza was gowned from head to toe while performing environmental monitoring duties.

After two years at Grifols, Espinoza was ready for the next step in her career. She joined B. Braun Medical, Inc., in Irvine as a microbiology associate II. While her current position involves collecting many of the same types of samples, her responsibilities have expanded to include filtering and incubating samples, as well as counting bacterial colony forming units in a laboratory setting.

The move also gave Espinoza the opportunity to transition from work performed primarily in a manufacturing environment to a role that incorporates more laboratory-based responsibilities.

Espinoza credits the Citrus College Biotechnology program with giving her knowledge she continues to use in her daily work. One particularly important skill is understanding how to read standard operating procedures, or SOPs, which provide the information necessary to perform specific job functions.

"Participating in and graduating from the biotechnology program at Citrus College helped me gain valuable knowledge that I apply in my everyday work life," she said.

For Espinoza, the significance of her work extends beyond the laboratory. "What I love most about my job is that I know that what I do on an everyday basis is important to the general public's health," she said.

Her career has also demonstrated how an entry-level opportunity can lead to professional growth. Espinoza began at Grifols and later moved into a more advanced position with a new company.

"I owe my success to the biotechnology program at Citrus," she said, "without which I would have never known this world even existed."

For more information about the Citrus College Biotechnology program, contact Dr. Eleanor Tsark at etsark@citruscollege.edu.

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