Erik Wielechowski, MS

Current Position: Scientist

Story Last Updated: Summer 2024

The communal experience and extracurricular activities at GMercyU absolutely meant the most to me.

Journey to GMercyU

Erik Wielechowski graduated from Wildwood Catholic High School in 2006, where his guidance counselor recommended he take a look at GMercyU.

At the time, Erik was interested in nursing and he was led to GMercyU because of the strength of the program.

Involvement on Campus

"Aside from meeting some of my nearest and dearest friends while living at GMercyU, being fully immersed on campus every day really inspired me to try new things and push myself harder than I ever had before," Erik said.

When beginning at GMercyU, Erik was a member of Student Government Association (SGA) and after two years, he moved up in rank to be on the Executive Council. During his senior year, he served as SGA President.

Erik was also a member of the Student Association of the Sciences and served as Vice President during his junior year.

In addition to the clubs he was involved in, Erik was inducted into Sigma Zeta Biology Honor Society and Sigma Phi Sigma Mercy Honor Society.

Erik was also a part of the work study program for two years and served as an Orientation Leader for two years. He served as Chairman for the Biology Undergraduate Seminar and won the Student Leader of the Year Award during his senior year.

I had the encouragement of many staff members and mentors who presented me with leadership opportunities that I would have otherwise been very trepidatious about prior to coming to college, and soon enough I found myself feeling very rewarded by working for the betterment of the GMercyU community.

Experience in the Biology Program

After his freshman year, Erik switched from nursing to biology.

"I found the program to be rigorous, engaging, and thorough," Erik said.

Erik finds that GMercyU's Biology program is a hidden gem within the area considering how highly competitive the program is.

Erik felt his profesors were deeply committed to their students and he felt challenged in a way that he did not observe from other programs.

Following graduation, I found myself very prepared for the demands of the biomedical workforce.

Two faculty members that had a great impact on Erik were Dr. Michelle McEliece and Dr. Lisa McGarry. He also had a close relationship with Tom Friel, then-Director of Student Activities, and Father John Collins, GMercyU's Chaplain at the time.

"Each in their own way had a significant impact on my life and I still keep in touch with all of them. All things considered, COVID-19 was a positive influence for reconnecting with many of my old mentors and colleagues from college," Erik said.

Post-Graduation

Following his graduation from GMercyU in 2011, Erik entered the biomedical industry working at a contract-research organization.

After spending two years in industry performing analytics, Erik transitioned to academic research at the University of Pennsylvania. While working at UPenn, he was accepted into the School of Engineering & Applied Science's biotechnology graduate program and graduated in 2020 with a focus in molecular biology.

Erik left his position at the university after eight years and now works as a gene therapy scientist in Philadelphia, where he resides.

Why GMercyU?

"I have always found staff members to be incredibly approachable and activities to be very inclusive during my time at GMercyU. That is one huge benefit to a smaller school as opposed to a much larger institution: personal attention. It may sound like a buzz word, but it made all the difference to me when I was a GMercyU freshman - the fact that someone was making time for me and saying 'you can do this,'" Erik said.