Athena Pagon

Class of 2023

Athena Pagon SEAS’23: Combining a Love for the Arts with Engineering

Even as her whirlwind first year on campus was cut short by the COVID-19 crisis, Athena Pagon SEAS’23 didn’t slow down for a minute.

As a dancer, choreographer, and budding biomedical engineer, Pagon kept pace with her coursework remotely while continuing to engage with a range of extracurricular groups, including the Caribbean Students Association, the National Society of Black Engineers, and Orchesis, a student-run dance organization open to lifelong performers and newcomers alike. 

When she returned to campus in person, she remained involved in Orchesis and was even the producer for a year. She later joined the Engineering Student Council as a senior class representative, started to give tours again with the Engineering Recruitment Committee, and joined the Reformed University Fellowship.

After graduation, Pagon plans to stay in New York City. For the summer, she will be a TA for the Columbia SHAPE program, and in the fall, she’ll be conducting research to get more hands-on experience before pursuing a MD/PhD or PhD program.

At the time of the original interview for this article [during the COVID-19 pandemic], Pagon took a moment to reflect on her first year as a Columbia Engineer.

How did dance lead to your interest in Biomedical Engineering?

I’ve had a good number of minor injuries throughout my dance career and thanks to a curious nature and some very patient doctors I’ve gotten to learn about structures of the body and a lot about the biomechanics of what your bones and connective tissue can and cannot do. Consequently, I’ve become very interested in this area of biomedical engineering—for instance, how we can advance prosthetics to go beyond those limitations and how we can repair and synthesize cartilage, ligaments, and bones.

Why Columbia Engineering?

I didn’t want to choose between science and the arts. I wanted a school that highlighted not just the analytical but also the creative side of engineering. That was a big selling point of Columbia compared to other schools, and I knew Columbia Engineering would allow me to combine my passions.

Dance has always been a part of my identity and being able to continue it in college was another deciding factor for me. I’ve been able to not only continue dancing, but to explore different styles, explore my creative side in choreography, and get to be part of a loving and inclusive community.

You’ve mentioned looking forward to conducting hands-on research in the BME labs back on campus. What’s your favorite thing about the discipline right now?

One of my favorite things about biomedical engineering is how interdisciplinary and far-reaching it is. The possibilities honestly feel endless with this major, and I am so excited to see where I eventually end up in the future—but not really in a rush because there are so many nooks and crannies I want to explore.

Student Spotlight

I didn’t want to choose between science and the arts. I wanted a school that highlighted not just the analytical but also the creative side of engineering, and I knew Columbia Engineering would allow me to combine my passions.

Athena Pagon
Class of 2023