The fact is, Bridgewater sets you up in a lot of different ways to be successful even if you don’t realize it. Where I am now? It all circles back to Bridgewater.
Kenneth Berthelette, ’10, transferred to Bridgewater State because he wanted to become a high school chemistry teacher.
“In high school I had a chemistry teacher who had a big impact on me and I wanted to replicate that,” he said. “Bridgewater is really known for both education and chemistry, so it seemed like a perfect fit. That, and I’ve always had a knack of explaining things to people.”
But after taking classes, he found research pulling him in a new direction.
He credits the entire BSU chemistry department for influencing his decision to switch gears and pursue a degree in chemistry with a focus on research.
“Everyone impacted me in different ways…so who I am today, it was a group effort by the entire chemistry department that shaped me,” Berthelette said.
When he had the opportunity to conduct undergraduate research, it further validated his feelings.
“Undergraduate research helped because it gave me hands-on experience. I spent a lot of time in the lab analyzing samples, collecting data and making sure I was doing things right,” Berthelette said.
In the spring semester of his senior year, he flew to the American Chemistry Society conference in San Francisco, where he gave a presentation.
“That experience exposed me to conferences, how to give presentations and set me up to have scientific conversations with those in the field,” Berthelette said. “It exposed me to part of what I do now in my job.”
Today, he works as a senior scientist at Waters Corporation, a global company that designs, manufactures, sells and services analytical technologies for research and quality control labs.
Berthelette works with a marketing team, where he runs experiments on Waters products, and gathers data to support how each performs.
He then takes his knowledge and shares with customers how to properly and successfully use the products.
“A big part of what I do is explain what the product is, how it can be used, what makes it different while also doing it with science,” Berthelette said. “I bring a different perspective (as a scientist). Because I ran the experiment myself, and generated the data, I can best explain it.”
While he may not be working in a traditional classroom, he’s aware that teaching is at the core of what he does for a living.
“My favorite part is when I’m explaining things to people, and they have that ‘aha’ moment. I love seeing that, it satisfies the teaching itch I have,” Berthelette said.
He recently returned to campus to talk with students about his journey from being a student at Bridgewater to working as a senior scientist at Waters.
“When I was asked to come back and talk, I said yes because I know it’s important to professors and helps students to hear (an alumni) come back and share their stories,” Berthelette said.
He told students that if BSU hadn’t gotten him to think outside of his comfort zone, he may not be where he is today in terms of a career.
“The fact is, Bridgewater sets you up in a lot of different ways to be successful even if you don’t realize it,” he said. “Where I am now? It all circles back to Bridgewater.”
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