Commencement 2022 profile: Vanessa Serna Villa
If there’s one thing to know about Serna Villa, it’s that she loves to stay busy
Vanessa Serna Villa knew that she wanted to pursue engineering as a high school student when she discovered her love for math and science. As a major in biomedical engineering with a dual concentration in biomaterials and computational bio-systems, she had no hesitation in choosing her path.
“I’m a huge advocate for women in STEM,” said the Harrison, N.Y., senior. “Only 2% of females in the engineering workforce are also Hispanic, which is crazy to me. Supporting minorities is very important to me.”
If there’s one thing to know about Serna Villa, it’s that she loves to stay busy. From being the vice president of the Society of Women Engineers to picking up dancing as a hobby as a first-year student, she seems to do it all.
“I love having a purpose and knowing that what I’m doing is helping people and contributing to something,” she said.
Her activities on campus as well as in the community are impressive. Whether she’s working as a research assistant in a biomedical engineering research lab, volunteering at an animal shelter, working as a student assistant in the Watson Career and Alumni Connections office or teaching for Girls Who Code, Serna Villa’s influence at Binghamton University will be missed following this year’s Commencement.
When asked how she is able to balance it all, she explained how organizational and time management skills help her to measure her time and decide what she wants to dedicate it to. Google Calendar and Post-It notes everywhere are a big help, too.
Serna Villa encourages other students to get involved: “Stay open-minded. Throughout my time as a student, I’ve been involved in a lot of organizations, and it’s helped me find new hobbies. Even if you’re slightly interested in doing something, just do it — you have nothing to lose. Before college, I never danced a day in my life. Freshman year, I decided to take jazz as a gen-ed and I ended up loving it. Dancing is a huge hobby of mine now.”
In her first year as a student at the Thomas J. Watson College of Engineering and Applied Science, Serna Villa quickly learned a very valuable lesson: It’s okay to admit you need assistance.
Because academics always came easily to her, this realization was sometimes hard for her to accept.
“I had to get comfortable with the idea of asking for help,” she said. “By being open to making mistakes and having failures, that’s what helps you grow and learn more. Once I recognized that, I was more vocal about communicating my needs. You’re not expected to know everything.”
Serna Villa believes she made the most out of her experience here at Binghamton, and she offers this advice to current and future students:
“Don’t be afraid to get outside your comfort zone, because that’s where you grow the most. College is the perfect opportunity to get exposed to new things. Everything is at your fingertips. Take advantage of that and try to learn as much as you can, because there’s so much to learn in school as well as the community.”
After graduation, Serna Villa will attend Carnegie Mellon University for a master’s degree in biomedical engineering, with full funding from the National Consortium for Graduate Degrees for Minorities in Engineering and Science (GEM) Fellowship.
“I’m really excited to be attending Carnegie Mellon,” she said. “I’m interested in whole-organ engineering — 3D printing organs to help create innovative solutions for patients with illnesses such as cancer and diabetes. Carnegie Mellon has the lab that will allow me to do that.”
After her master’s, Serna Villa plans on stepping into industry to gain experience and potentially returning to school to get her PhD.