As a bioengineering senior with a chemistry minor at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, Aidan Rogers always wanted to get into the medical field. He didn’t know that his journey would lead him to work with software and web development with the Office of Medicaid Innovation (OMI), but that is where he has found himself working as a student employee for the past few semesters.
When asked why he chose Bioengineering at Illinois, Aidan said that most people will tell you that they chose this course of study to help people, and he is no exception. Aidan has always felt drawn to the work that will benefit others. He was still determining his fit with the open position with OMI, as he took some computer science courses at Illinois and did not necessarily think it was a good fit for him. However, he was interested in OMI's work for the community and was open to exploring multiple facets of the medical world, so he decided to take a chance and apply for this position.
At OMI, Aidan found that his supervisors and teammates were more than willing to help him learn more about the technical side of the medical world while allowing him room to explore and learn independently. One of the things that Aidan appreciates most about his time at OMI has been the mentorship he receives. Aidan credits his team for not solving issues for him and instead teaching him how to solve those problems himself. He thinks that this will be incredibly beneficial in his future career. While taking this position felt like a risk, Aidan is confident that with the new technical skills and confidence he has developed, he will be able to succeed in the future.
After discovering new paths within the medical field with OMI, Aidan has accepted a position with AbbVie in Chicago. He plans to work with their clinical trial development programs as his first full-time position after college. We are grateful for all of Aidan’s contributions to OMI and wish him the best of luck in his future endeavors!
