From the Tufts Career Fair to career clarity

Back in Fall 2024, Bo Pilarczyk, E27, attended the Tufts Career Fair prepared with questions for potential employers. Passionate about engineering in the field of medical technology, Pilarczyk found her place at Lexington Medical. Over the summer, she got involved in the engineering behind the company’s stapling technology, traveled to Arkansas to observe it in action during bariatric surgery, and gained a fresh perspective on her career path ahead.   

Read on to learn more about Bo’s experience.

Can you briefly describe what you did during your summer internship?

I spent the summer as a Research and Development (R&D) Engineering Intern at Lexington Medical, Inc. A mechanical engineer’s dream is to be hands-on, wrists-deep in product design — that’s exactly what I got to do this summer. From being tasked with disassembling and reassembling their product on day one to receiving an internship-long fixturing project intended for use in both their Bedford MA and Israel offices, I got to experience what it means to be an engineer in the med-tech field.

How did you find this internship? 

Before the Tufts Career Fair, I did some research to familiarize myself with the attending med-tech companies. During the event, I had the amazing opportunity of hearing directly from employees about their experiences. I had a conversation with Katie Melsky at Lexington Medical and was instantly drawn to the company.

Lexington Medical hosted a site tour a few weeks after the Career Fair. Seeing their facilities in person and speaking with the inspiring employees was a pivotal point in my application. During the tour, we had a chance to test the product for ourselves, ask questions, and even got to speak one-on-one with the CEO and founder of the company Leon Amariglio. It was the genuine connections I made with some of the employees throughout the application process that allowed me to truly see myself at the company.

How did the Tufts Career Center support you?

Robin Kahan from the Tufts Career Center was instrumental in my professional development. Attending her resume workshops and following her advice to reach out to mentors through The Herd helped me become comfortable with networking and putting myself out there. By the time the Career Fair rolled around, I felt prepared and confident.

What is something unexpected that you learned during this internship?

I’ve learned that success in internships means being curious and raising your hand whenever possible. By doing that, I was able to observe Dr. Josh Roller perform bariatric procedures at Northwest Medical Center in Arkansas. It’s also how I traveled to Atlanta with my manager to perform a new product human evaluation protocol.

The technical expertise in the engineering lab was truly inspiring. More than anything, building relationships with mentors at Lexington Medical was one of my most meaningful takeaways from this summer.

How has the experience informed your career goals?

I knew that I wanted to pursue the med-tech industry through an engineering lens, but it was over the summer that I began to see my future in this space. With my manager Jameson and a truly driven team at the office, I had experiences I never thought possible through an internship. My time with Lexington Medical shaped my understanding of what it means to be an engineer in the med-tech field and my sense of purpose going forward.

What impact did the internship have on your Tufts experience?

Beyond the summer, this internship refined my academic pursuits. My experiences with the company and growing passion for electromechanical systems solidified my intent to minor in Electrical Engineering. I’ve since joined the Robotics Club, and as of this semester became an employee at the Tufts Bray Lab’s machine shop. My personal goal is to be hands-on whenever possible!

Anything else you’d like to mention?

I want to thank my manager, Jameson Kief, CEO of the company, Leon Amariglio, and the entire Lexington Medical team for their immense trust, support, and mentorship. Lexington Medical, Inc. will be at the Tufts Career Fair once again this year on September 26th, and hosting another site tour on October 8th–both of which students can sign up for on Handshake.