When Kylie Kemp entered the medical device field as a young engineer, she remembers wishing she had more guidance. “There weren’t many opportunities to connect with professionals in the industry and understand what the work actually looked like day-to-day,” she said. Today, Kylie is a Senior Development Engineer at Highridge Medical, where she designs spinal implants and surgical instrumentation—and she is also a dedicated mentor with the Colorado BioScience Institute.
Kylie first joined the Institute’s Mentor Program in 2020. A colleague who had been mentoring needed to step back and asked if Kylie might be interested. “I jumped at the opportunity,” Kylie said. “I wanted to give students the kind of insight I wished I’d had—honest advice, real industry perspective, and encouragement.”
One of those students was Ginger Gonzales, then a junior studying engineering at Colorado School of Mines. At the time, Ginger was navigating major decisions many students in the life sciences face: whether to pursue graduate school, go directly into industry, or consider a different path altogether.
“I had considered medical school, graduate school, and industry roles,” Ginger said. “Talking with Kylie helped me understand what engineering in a corporate environment actually looks like, and what graduate school realistically provides. Her perspective made those decisions clearer.”
The mentorship was consistent, approachable, and grounded in real experience. “What stood out about Kylie is that she tailored our conversations to what I needed,” Ginger said. “It wasn’t a generic checklist. It was personal.”
Over time, the connection grew beyond resume review and interview preparation. Ginger ultimately chose to pursue a graduate degree in biomechanical engineering, and then went on to secure her first industry role. The two stayed in contact, continuing to exchange guidance and encouragement. Last year, Ginger joined Highridge Medical as a quality engineer—the same company where Kylie works.
“That was a full-circle moment,” Kylie said. “Seeing her succeed, watching her growth, and then becoming colleagues—it reinforces why this program matters.”
Now, Ginger has returned to the Institute’s Mentor Program, but this time as a mentor herself.
“I gained so much from this program that I felt a responsibility to give back,” she said. “I remember what it meant to have someone just a few steps ahead of me, helping me figure out the path. Now I get to be that person for someone else.”
Kylie sees Ginger’s journey, from mentee to mentor, as a powerful example of the Mentor Program’s ripple effect. The Institute’s Mentor Program builds a connected community of students, educators, and life sciences professionals. Through mentorships, the Institute and its mentor volunteers provide students hands-on experiences and an understanding of life sciences career paths.
“As mentors, we donate our time,” she said. “But it’s donor support that makes the program possible. Contributions ensure we have the structure, coordination, and resources to keep connecting people like Ginger to the opportunities that change lives. When you support the Colorado BioScience Institute, you’re investing in the future of our field.”
The Colorado BioScience Institute’s programs, including the Mentor Program, are powered by donor support. Your financial contribution provides hands-on learning, career pathways, confidence-building mentorship, and access to a community that many participants never knew existed.
This Colorado Gives Day, your gift strengthens the next generation of scientists, engineers, researchers, and innovators in Colorado. And as Ginger and Kylie’s story shows, that investment doesn’t stop when the program cycle ends—it grows, it echoes, and it continues through the people who return to support those who come after them.
This December, we are working to raise $15,000 to expand these opportunities to more students across Colorado.
Helps us grow Colorado’s life sciences talent and ensure it thrives right here at home.
Donate today:
https://www.coloradogives.org/organization/ColoradoBioScienceInstitute
Because when one person is seen, supported, and encouraged to pursue their potential, it doesn’t just change their future. It strengthens the future of our entire life science community.