Panchookian is majoring in biomedical and mechanical engineering
BREVARD COUNTY • MELBOURNE, FLORIDA – In this Scholar-Athlete Spotlight, we are featuring Florida Tech men’s lacrosse player, JP Panchookian. This summer, the Davie, Florida native is gaining meaningful experience at an internship in his desired field. We caught up with Panchookian to learn more about the incredible opportunity.
■ What company are you interning for this summer? What was your title and role with the company?
The company I am interning for this summer is TrueCare Biomedix. My title is Summer Engineering Intern.
I have the role of doing a little bit of everything. I do product testing and verification, research new products, complete market/competitor summaries, and some other small tasks for the company.
■ What drew you to this internship?
What drew me to the internship was the variety of different tasks I would be able to take part in.
■ What are some exciting tasks that you have been able to be a part of?
An exciting task I was able to take part in was going to the Florida International Medical Expo (FIME). There were over 800 different companies there with a variety of products.
I was able to go around and inquire about products that interested me. There were surgical implants, imaging devices, and infusion-related products, and they even had dogs you could adopt.
■ How is your internship preparing you for a career you would like to do after graduation?
This internship gives me experience in the Biomedical field which a lot of companies are scouting for. With the diversity of tasks, I am gaining a background in a lot of aspects of a medical device company. I am getting a mixture of management, research, and engineering experience.
■ What is your major at Florida Tech? Why did you choose this direction for your education and is this something you always wanted to pursue?
I am majoring in biomedical and mechanical engineering. The reason I chose biomedical engineering was a direct result of all the sports-related injuries I suffered.
Years of on-and-off physical therapy had me questioning not only how to prevent injury, but how to get back in the field quicker.
I wanted to help others the same way my physical therapist helped me. I wanted to improve the quality of life for others. I believe designing medical devices would do just that. I added Mechanical Engineering to gain more knowledge in mechanical design. I have a thirst for wanting to know how machines work, their functionality, and their durability.
■ How has being a collegiate athlete prepared you for the work you are currently doing? What traits did you take away from the playing field that are helping you throughout your internship?
Being part of a team helps a lot when it comes to the workplace. I am able to easily make connections with everyone and work together towards the same goal similar to sports. Hard work is required to succeed in both as well.
In addition, being captain of the lacrosse team provides a unique perspective. Listening to others, solving problems, and finding ways to inspire my teammates have also helped me in my internship.
■ What skills did you acquire at the internship that you plan to bring back to help lead the Lacrosse team?
I learned that everyone moves at their own pace and that is fine when they have the same goal because you will reach them together at the end. I will use this patience and understanding to push our team on the right direction in order to have a successful year.
■ What advice would you give another athlete/prospective athlete who is looking to pursue the path you’ve taken?
If you are looking for a biomedical internship good luck. Apply early and apply often. Since the biomedical field is currently not as widespread as other engineering fields, there is quite a bit of competition.
More people and less opportunities. Do not be discouraged by rejections either just keep applying and you will end up where you should.
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