Success Stories Feature

One of RIT/NTID alumnus Jabril Jaha’s favorite quotes is by an unknown author: “Work hard in silence; let success make the noise.”

The 2012 Multidisciplinary Studies graduate is a biological science technician at the U.S. Department of Agriculture in the Animal Plant Health Inspection Services’ Mycobacteria and Brucella Laboratory in Ames, Iowa.

“My responsibilities are to conduct diagnostic tests, and to obtain and maintain training and accreditation on equipment and standard operating procedures to perform testing,” he says. “Also I work as a laboratory safety rep, and maintain adequate inventory of supplies, reagents and media for performing routine diagnostic testing.”

Prior to earning his bachelor’s degree, Jaha graduated from NTID’s Laboratory Science Technology program. In 2009 he completed a 10-week co-op at the National Institute for Medical Research in Dar Es Salaam, Tanzania. In 2010, he completed a second co-op at Johns Hopkins University, School of Medicine. While at RIT/NTID, Jaha participated in Delta Sigma Phi, the Deaf Basketball Association, and the National Collegiate Inventors and Innovators Alliance.

“RIT/NTID was a good fit for me because it allowed me to be socially interactive with my peers,” the St. Louis, Mo., native says. “I had a great experience in NTID’s LST program, and that allowed me to bridge my laboratory skills to become a biological science technician.

Jaha advises students that it’s never too early to prepare to find their dream job.

“Relentlessly apply,” says Jaha, who is considering returning to RIT for graduate school. “Given the economic and employment hardships today, it is best to get work experience every summer before you graduate.”

This story appeared in the Fall/Winter 2013 issue of FOCUS Magazine.