I’ve always been the kind of person who is afraid to ask for help, but this is not something that is just a handout. You actually get to apply yourself and reap the benefits of it. It’s genuinely helped me build confidence in my knowledge and career path.
When she was a kid, Lydia Taccini, ’26, admittedly zoned out when her father, Gary Taccini, ’96, talked about his job at the dinner table in their Bridgewater home.
“It all sounded boring when I was younger,” Lydia said.
But as she got older, she started tuning in when he discussed making drugs that could potentially treat skin cancer. Soon, she joined in conversations with her dad and stepmom, who also worked in the pharmaceutical field.
When it came time to choose a major, like her father, she opted to study biology, though at first she was reluctant to also follow in his footsteps to Bridgewater State University.
“I had the opportunity to go to Bridgewater, but when I first started out, I wanted to move out of my hometown,” Lydia said.
After completing her freshman year at a private school in Boston, she realized it was too expensive.
“I felt I could get a better deal and good education somewhere else, so I transferred to Bridgewater my sophomore year and it’s been the best decision I’ve ever made,” Lydia said.
On track to graduate this December, Lydia has found many levels of support while at BSU. From her professors to studying abroad for a semester in Ireland, she took full advantage of the opportunities the school offers.
“I’ve had so many great experiences with my professors, both in and outside of my choice of study. And the opportunity to study abroad, that was life changing. It was genuinely one of the best experiences I’ve ever had,” she said.
More recently, Lydia discovered another opportunity through Career Services and Internships: Project Onramp.
BSU partnered with the organization last year. According to Executive Director of Career Services and Internships Dr. Gerald Tang, Project Onramp is a nationally recognized life sciences workforce development initiative founded by Life Science Cares that connects college students with internships at leading life science organizations.
“Many of their previous interns came from schools like MIT, Brandeis, USC, Dartmouth and other elite institutions,” Tang said.
Bridgewater State is now included on that list.
Lydia was one of four BSU students who participated in Project Onramp this past summer.
She worked as a regulatory intern at EnGene Therapeutics Inc. The company develops genetic medicines to help patients suffering from bladder cancer.
The internship, Lydia said, helped her gain industry experience and build her professional network.
“It’s definitely been a confidence boost,” she said.
Through Project Onramp, she also took advantage of the networking and professional development workshops they offer.
“What I like the most is, I get to put in the work and achieve something for myself. They are a vessel for me to use to get where I want to go,” she said.
Tang credits Katie Vagen, associate director of Internships and Career Development, for her leadership in helping to expand the partnership.
“We grew from one participating student in 2025 to four students this year,” Tang said. “This tremendous growth reflects the strength of our students, the quality of our career preparation efforts, and the power of strong employer partnerships.”
Matthew Fortune, ’26, worked as a security data analyst intern at Thermo Fisher Scientific; Christian Sanchez, ’26, was a people operations intern with Volta Labs; and Abby Brown, ’28, worked as a lab intern with New England Biolabs.
Lydia hopes to see more BSU students take advantage of Project Onramp.
“I’ve always been the kind of person who is afraid to ask for help, but this is not something that is just a handout. You actually get to apply yourself and reap the benefits of it,” she said. “It’s genuinely helped me build confidence in my knowledge and career path.”
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