Lemuel Valdez
Account Executive
My degree gave me the discipline to evaluate and question things a lot more. In fact it supports me in a lot of ways. When I am speaking to medical companies about security, I am able to relate to them in a deeper way. It has also been a way to chat to customers about things that interests them in the field I have studied.
Has it been otherwise relevant? I believe yes. The amount of skills I gained and developed at university and the people I met helped shaped my opinions, thoughts and contributed in what I am today.
Post 16 Education: A Levels German, Chemistry, Maths, Biology, General Studies and EPQ
Higher Education: BSc Medicinal and Pharmaceutical Chemistry with a Year in Industry; MSc Software and Systems Security, Oxford
Why did you choose Chemistry?
I have always been fascinated in Chemistry. It wasn't one of my best subjects at college, but I loved tinkering with chemicals, find out what would come out of it. I like finding out their structures but also how certain chemicals or drugs can influence different things in your body in different ways. Medicinal and Pharmaceutical Chemistry, is about drug discovery, drug synthesis and developing medicines.
Lemuel's advice
Don't think too much into the future.
I only decided to do Chemistry after looking at universities.
Do something you love as it's a long time to do something and have fun whilst you're at it.
Lemuel’s experience as a student
Loughborough for me was one amazing rollercoaster ride. I got my teeth into a lot of things at University, from being a member of the Board of Trustees, to becoming a student rep and even leading my own societies.
What I cherished the most about it, was the culture that Loughborough still has; to never give up, to keep practicing and constantly improve.
You can always find someone ‘better’ than you, but it doesn't mean you have reached your limit. Learn from it, learn your mistakes and continue to strive harder.
From my course: I loved my course a lot. I remember my first lectures with Dr. Jennings, Dr. Jones, Dr. Pritchard, Dr. Worrall, Dr. Williams and Prof. Fletcher from my first year. Each one of them brought in a different style of teaching. I may have been bad at Physical Chemistry but Prof Fletcher and Dr. Worrall really inspired me. Dr. Jennings, Jones and Pritchard with Organic Chemistry and the lab practice, totally loved that!
Lemuel’s Career
I work at Zscaler which is a Cybersecurity Company. I have worked in an IT based role for the past few years.
How I got here is a bit complicated - After university I went into research, doing a PhD. But during that time, and due to some supervisor conflicts, I decided that a PhD wasn't for me. Funnily enough, I had a choice of either Reckitt Benckiser and Regulatory Affairs or start an IT sales career. I chose the latter, because I decided that by doing so I would have my chance to travel, see the world and learn things from customers and clients.
Loughborough University offers undergraduate degrees (BSc and MChem) in:
Chemistry, Medicinal and Pharmaceutical Chemistry, Natural Sciences, Chemistry and Computing.
Chemistry OpenPlus - A flexible route to a degree in Chemistry offered in partnership with the Open University.
Chemistry with a Foundation Year - For candidates who for some reason have not had the opportunity to study the pre-requisite subjects needed for first year entry.