Life-Changing Science: The BioBuilder Podcast · BioBuilder Educational Foundation

Unlocking Nathan Kirokwa's Path to Bioengineering

·29 min

Aziz Shahan opens the conversation by welcoming Nathan Kurokwa to Life-Changing Science. Nathan is a rising senior at Pioneer Charter School of Science in Saugus, Massachusetts. The show frames him as a student who paid for his own place in the BioBuilder Summer Research Program. Nathan says he was a curious kid with a lot of energy. He spent a lot of time outside. He looked at bugs, picked them up, and watched how they moved even when they scared him. He raced bikes and climbed trees, and that meant a lot of falling, scraping, and getting patched up. His mom is a travel nurse, and while she treated his injuries she also talked to him about the science behind it. Those moments helped biology feel personal rather than distant. Nathan says he still did not know what he wanted to do with his life. BioBuilder became a way to find out whether biology was the right path. When he saw the price tag, he had to think carefully. He had been working two jobs since eighth grade, so he had money saved up. He was determined to pay for it out of pocket. He talked to his mom and expected her to say no. Instead, she was just as excited as he was. He joined the program and says he has no regrets. Nathan describes the experience as great and says he learned from people who knew far more than he did. The conversation also turns to the final project he built with other BioBuilder students. Together they worked on a ketamine-detecting yeast concept that could help prevent date rape. The episode connects that project back to the larger story of a student learning to trust his own curiosity. It also points toward the internship Nathan later landed at a biotech startup. By the end, BioBuilder comes across as a place where hands-on work, encouragement, and a real scientific question all meet.

As heard by us

A student bioengineering story about curiosity becoming a practical path.

Nathan Kurokwa's path moves from backyard bug-watching and childhood injuries to a self-funded summer bioengineering program, and the episode treats that arc as the central draw.

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Why you'd press play

A measured biotech origin story from a student who paid his own way.

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