Sydney Sampson

Science fascinated Sydney Sampson when she was in middle school. In high school, however, she plunged into a rebellious phase and dropped out at 16. After years of hard work and determination, she is earning a master of science in applied biomedical sciences from UMass Lowell just one year after completing a bachelor’s degree.

“I’m thrilled that I found a passion for laboratory science and am grateful for UMass Lowell’s programs, faculty and support,” says Sampson, who grew up in Daytona Beach, Florida, and moved to Haverhill, Massachusetts, when she was 18 to live near her partner’s family. 

After welcoming her second child in 2019, Sampson decided to take the General Education Development (GED) test to earn a high school equivalency credential. During the pandemic, she enrolled at Northern Essex Community College. Not sure what she wanted to major in, she defaulted to health care and then switched to the laboratory science program.

“Once I started taking the laboratory-based courses, I fell in love with science again,” says Sampson, who hadn’t been planning to earn more than an associate degree.

Sampson learned of the transfer agreement between the community college and UMass Lowell, and she was all in. She was accepted into UMass Lowell’s applied biomedical science program, clinical science option; she then took advantage of the bachelor’s-to-master’s program, which allows students to count up to six credits towards a graduate degree.  

“As a mom, a key factor was earning credits for the graduate-level courses as an undergrad, which expedited my earning a master’s degree in applied biomedical sciences exactly one year after graduating with my B.S.,” says Sampson.

Sampson found that the programs, faculty and support were exactly what she needed to succeed.

“All of my professors have been supportive of me academically and socially, especially in circumstances involving hardships as a parent,” says Sampson. “My labs were hands-on, helping me gain experience with testing techniques, and the curriculum was more interactive in the master’s program.”

For someone who didn’t know what she wanted to do that many years ago, Sampson is motivated to keep going: She’s planning to pursue a Ph.D. in pharmaceutical sciences at UMass Lowell.

“I’ve had many twists and turns in my life, but I’m grateful for the journey that has led me to my passion of health sciences,” she says.