Success Matters - Blen Alemayehu

Blen Alemayehu
Emory University Rollins School of Public Health - Masters of Global Health with concentration in Infectious Disease

BS in Biological Sciences, 2015

Blen Alemayhu spends her days fighting infectious diseases and hopes to one day fight bioterrorism.

Her journey started at Southeastern with a degree in biological sciences with a concentration in medical microbiology. She served as a research assistant while at Southeastern, and worked at the University of Iowa Carver Medical School’s genetics department and a clinical diagnostics laboratory in Atlanta following graduation.

Success Matters - Blen Alemayehu

Currently, she is pursuing a Masters of Science in Infectious Disease at Emory University and works at Emory’s research laboratory, specializing in antibiotic testing for pneumococcal infections. She hopes her career plans lead her to work for the Center for Disease Control in the field of preparation and planning for bioterrorism emergencies.

“I love being able to connect with people from different backgrounds in my career,” states Blen. “The most satisfying part of my job is to be able to solve a problem and help prevent a disease.”

Blen is proud that Southeastern helped her become the person she is today. Blen was a sophomore attending a small college in Missouri when she decided to look for options online to transfer to another university to study biology. She found Southeastern while researching her choices.

“I liked what I saw and applied to Southeastern,” Blen explained. “I was also accepted to larger universities, such as Cornell, but I chose Southeastern because I was offered a fantastic transfer scholarship package. Transferring to Southeastern turned out to be the best decision I have ever made in my life.”

Some of Blen’s favorite memories of her time at Southeastern include Homecoming, the Hammond Mardi Gras parade, Strawberry Jubilee, and “definitely the football games, both home and away!” The highlight of her Southeastern experience was being named the employee of the year by the Division for Student Affairs in 2014.

“The faculty and staff at Southeastern were caring and very understanding," Blen says. “For me, the faculty was more like family than instructors. Even after my graduation, they continue to be very helpful and supportive.”

Blen was active in campus life at Southeastern as a member of the Student Government Association and biological sciences honors societies. “Working in these organizations, both individually and in teams, helped strengthen my leadership skills,” she says.

Blen also really appreciated Southeastern’s textbook rental program, as she is spending almost as much as her Emory tuition on books!

Blen urges potential students to “Lion Up”! “Southeastern may be a smaller school, but it has so much to offer,” she says. “Choose Southeastern for the small class size, one-on-one attention from faculty and the experience that prepares students for the “real world” after graduation.”


Thursday, October 26, 2017
by: Allen Cutrer