Biomedical Sciences

Our lauded biomedical sciences program packs 6.5 years of science into just four years of intensive college-preparatory study. Designed for students who want to pursue a career in the biomedical sciences, it opens the doors for a way of learning that is project based and empowering regardless of the student’s post-high school career path. This intensive program is a combination of SJND courses partnered with Project Lead the Way’s transformative learning experiences.

Throughout their coursework, students get the opportunity to examine real world problems in a truly hands-on approach to learning. During their fourth year in the biomedical sciences program high school students are required to complete an internship or job shadowing in a company within the biomed, engineering, medical, or health sciences sectors.

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Class of 2023 Shines at Commencement

On May 27, we celebrated the graduation of 120 students at our 141st commencement at College of Alameda. Our diverse class amazed us for four years, much of which was disrupted by the pandemic. Still, their resilience and perseverance was evident by their accomplishments in and outside of the classroom.

With stirring speeches by outgoing Principal Julianne Guevara, long-time retired Principal Tony Aiello, a valedictory address by Sarah Lisanti, and music by SJND musicians and singers, we honored the Class of 2023 in typical SJND style. We wish all members of this year’s graduating class health, happiness, and a fruitful pursuit of continued education and learning wherever their journeys take them. Fly high, you Pilots!

Members of our Class of 2023 were accepted to an impressive array of colleges and universities. Included in the list are Ivy League schools Columbia University, Brown University, and Yale University, private schools such as Stanford University, Santa Clara University, Boston University, Villanova University, the United States Naval Academy, many schools in the UC system, and stellar community colleges known for facilitating transfers to four-year universities.

Not only are the destinations impressive, but members of the Class of 2023 were offered more than $9.1 million in scholarship money to pursue their studies. Truly, SJND graduates are in demand and sought after by some of the best universities in the country. See the full list of the schools to which they were accepted.

Engineering Student Earns Rare Perfect Score on AP Computer Science Exam

It’s one thing to get a top score of 5 on an Advanced Placement (AP) exam, but it’s an altogether different story to earn every point possible and register a perfect score. That’s exactly what recent SJND graduate Charlie Schneider did on the College Board’s AP Computer Science A Exam.

Charlie was among less than one half of one percent of all test takers worldwide to achieve the perfect score, an achievement that Trevor Packer, head of the College Board’s AP Program, called “so superior that it falls into an extremely select category” in a letter to Charlie. In all, there were only 369 out of approximately 78,500 test takers who received a perfect score.

Charlie felt he did well on the test, estimating that he would earn a score of 4 or 5. “The multiple choice I found pretty easy,” he says, “but the writing part is where I thought I’d lose a lot of points because you actually have to write code. I ran out of space on the page so I had to erase some lines and squeeze more in and I was thinking, ‘This is such a mess. There’s no way this code is going to work. There’s no way I’m going to get any points for this.’ “But, I guess I did.”

An Eagle Scout, Charlie went through SJND’s Engineering Pathway program. “I’ve enjoyed the Engineering Pathway,” he says of the program that requires two personal and one group project in each of a student’s four years at SJND.

Perhaps Charlie might have been the only one to have doubts about how he would do on the test. His interest in coding and engineering runs deep. An Eagle Scout, Charlie went through SJND’s Engineering Pathway program. “I’ve enjoyed the Engineering Pathway,” he says of the program that requires two personal and one group project in each of a student’s four years at SJND.

A finalist for one of the prestigious 7,250 National Merit Scholarship awards, Charlie is hoping that after a gap year following his recent graduation, he’ll attend a university with a strong engineering program. Caltech, Georgia Tech, Cornell, Cal Poly, and schools in the UC system all hold appeal for him. “I’m really interested in space stuff and engineering,” Charlie says. His father, Chuck Schneider, also studied engineering at Cornell and worked as an engineer and programmer before entering management. Charlie’s mother, Angela Brahm, works in the accounting field.

For one of his last Engineering Pathway projects, Charlie wrote his own programming language and developed a compiler for it. “A compiler takes the text (of the code) and turns it into something a computer can understand,” he says. “I came up with my own program, all of the syntax and the grammar for it, and I’m making something to take that program and turn it into machine code that your CPU on the computer can actually execute.”

It’s all rather impressive for any student let alone one who chose to come to SJND because of its small size. “We checked out other schools, but whenever I went to those, they didn’t feel very friendly, not super welcoming,” Charlie says. “But, at SJND, it felt a lot more open, a lot more friendly with people willing to talk. It’s definitely a smaller community, which I like. It’s a very close knit community. It just felt like a school that I wanted to go to.”

An Entrepreneurial Spirit Steps in as SJND’s New Principal

Father Steve Kim Looking Forward to a Bright SJND Future

Incoming Saint Joseph Notre Dame Principal Father Steve Kim cannot wait to get started on his new job, and if his past is an indication he will infuse the school with a burst of energy and a series of new ideas. He’s already planning on visiting the Alameda campus several times this spring, months before he officially takes on the job on July 1.

“I can’t wait to get started,” Father Kim says. “I’m all in on SJND and I look forward to working with the faculty, staff, and entire SJND community of students and families.” Father Kim’s appointment was announced on March 31. He will be taking over from Principal Julianne Guevara, who has been at SJND for 17 years, including the past four years as principal. Principal Guevara is staying on through the end of the current academic year.

“I am humbled and excited to have the opportunity to serve as the next principal of Saint Joseph Notre Dame High School,” Father Kim wrote in a message to the SJND community, including parents of current students. “Throughout the interview process, I felt more and more drawn to the community’s warm and welcoming environment. Every time I visited the school, the weather was a little cloudy, but on Chestnut Street I can see the mission of Jesus at work. Also, during my third interview with the faculty, staff, students, and various members of the board and parents, it was clear that everyone cares about the school and wants nothing but the best for our students to be successful and serve the world.”

“Fr. Steve displays a contagious zeal for education, love for students, and dedication to teachers.”

Father Kim brings with him impressive teaching, administrative, and entrepreneurial experience. He has spent the last 10 years on the faculty at Saint Francis High School in Mountain View where he has also served as director of Campus Ministry. He is currently serving as pastor of St. Leo the Great Parish in San Jose. He will leave that post to join SJND. Father Kim also serves as chaplain to the San Francisco 49ers.

“I look forward to welcoming Fr. Kim to the SJND community and to partnering with him,” said Fr. Mario Rizzo, parochial administrator of St. Joseph Basilica. “Fr. Steve displays a contagious zeal for education, love for students, and dedication to teachers. Being a teacher himself for many years, I have no doubt that he will provide exceptional support to our faculty. What’s more, his experience as an administrator at St. Francis High School and pastor of St. Leo Parish will enrich our community, as all our principals have done in their own unique way. I wish to thank Principal Julianne Guevara for her many years of service to SJND. It was a privilege to work with her.”

After graduating from Palo Alto High School in 2003, Fr. Kim earned his BA in philosophy and religious studies from Santa Clara University (SCU). He then earned three degrees at Saint Patrick’s Seminary and University, completing his bachelor’s in sacred theology, his master of divinity, and his master’s in theology and theological studies. From there, he returned to SCU for his master’s in educational leadership and administration and then attended the University of Southern California for his doctorate of education in organizational leadership. He was ordained into the priesthood in 2011.

Passionate about Catholic education, Fr. Kim has served as San Jose Bishop Oscar Cantú’s delegate to build the future St. John XXIII high school in Morgan Hill. He also enjoys teaching graduate students in the Excellence in Catholic Education and Leadership (ExCEL) and Catholic Master of Arts in Teaching (CatMAT) programs at SCU as well as lay leaders in the Institute for Leadership in Ministry (ILM) program at the Diocese of San Jose. He is the founder and president of several non-profits, including Camp Thrive and St. Martin Paving Company.

Father Kim’s appointment is just one of SJND’s exciting recent developments. The SJND Vice Principal Search Committee has just ended the first round of in-person panel interviews. Candidates advancing in the process will next meet with additional members of SJND’s faculty and staff community as well as with student leaders. Looking at a strong pool of internal and external candidates, the school hopes to have its next vice principal on board by mid-May.

With Fr. Kim about to join SJND and a new vice principal soon to be on board, the school is poised for success that builds on the accomplishments of its previous leaders who have left their own indelible marks on the school and its students.

The demand for jobs in the biomedical sectors is projected to increase in the next decade. An educational focus in the science, technology, engineering and maths (STEM) realm helps insure a strong foundation for our students’ futures regardless of the careers they end up pursuing. According to the National Institutes of Health (NIH) Scientific Management Review Board, “NIH pre-college STEM activities need a rejuvenated, integrated focus on biomedical workforce preparedness, with special considerations for underrepresented minorities.”

Where do graduates of the biomedical sciences program end up? Simply put, wherever they want! This intensive program opens the doors for the university or career of their choice.

What even is biomedical science? We break that down and go into what you'll learn in a biomedical high school class!

Register to Learn More!

“I loved biomed; I loved the learning structure of it and the independence and being in the cohort was a blast.” -Emily Stehr SJND ‘17 & Dartmouth College ‘21 valedictorian

"The biomedical program was presented as a very hands-on learning experience. I love that!" - Rachel Hungerford SJND '17 & UC San Diego '21 double major

"This [biomed program] is a fun way to really explore whether or not you like science and whether or not a certain subject really interests you and you're able to explore that on your own."
- Rebecca Rochlin SJND '17 & UC Berkeley '21 molecular and cell biology major