As a child, Felix Bagley wanted to be a chemist so he could make potions. While his career plans have changed, his fascination with chemistry has stuck. At Washington State University’s College of Veterinary Medicine, Bagley is pursuing a degree in biochemistry, a field that combines his interests in chemistry and biology and is preparing him for his ultimate goal of becoming a pharmacist.
Why did you choose biochemistry as a major?
When I was little, I wanted to be a chemist because I wanted to make potions. My parents are both engineers and enrolled me in programs that focused on chemical engineering. As I came of age, I realized I was more interested in the “chemical” than the engineering. I also enjoy biology and studying what makes us live. Since I liked biology and chemistry, I chose biochemistry.
What interests you most about biochemistry?
Biochemistry is so interesting, learning which pathways are in our bodies and when a deficiency leads to disease, how things like nutrition affect metabolic pathways or if we ingest something we shouldn’t, like ethylene glycol. We test carbon dioxide, nitrogen, and pH levels to see how things like that affect the pathways.
What has your experience at WSU been like in studying this major?
It’s a lot of hard work, but you meet other people who are trying as hard as you to succeed and build a community. Sometimes, you might not know how to prepare for an exam, and if you fail, you build resilience and learn better study habits. When my classmates and I are not studying, we socialize, have lunch together, and you become close because you’re in all the same classes.
What are your career goals with this degree?
My main goal is to become a pharmacist. Biochemistry and pharmacy go hand-in-hand because in both, you look at drug interactions with the body and the other drugs a patient is taking. Our bodies have a specific way of functioning, and drugs alter those functions, so we verify that the drugs are safe for the patient. After I graduate, I plan to apply to pharmacy schools in Washington. I’m somewhat of a city slicker, so I’d like to work in an urban setting.
What advice would you offer an incoming student to WSU?
Be OK with change, because although I didn’t change my major, my life changed a lot from high school to college and it’s an easier process if you’re open to change. The person you think you will be in 10 years might be different from the person you become. That’s OK and way more common than you might think.