Feature Stories 2021: Osamah (Sam) Maqsood '20: Building a network

“Attending UMassD expanded my ability to shape my career goals as to where I am today,” says Osamah Maqsood who earned his marketing degree through UMass Dartmouth’s Charlton College of Business. “All the classes, co-curricular activities, guidance from professors and advisors as well as the atmosphere motivated me to become the healthcare marketer I am today.”

“I used to be an introvert when I first entered UMass Dartmouth in 2016. It was a culture shock to someone who did not study through the American system while my pre-university education in Pakistan, which was the British and Cambridge educational system,” says Osamah who was born in New York and raised in Pakistan (Lahore & Karachi). Not long after entering college, Osamah discovered that networking was one of the keys to figuring out his career aspirations. He chose marketing as a major, applied the knowledge he acquired from pursuing biology as his minor and decided he wanted to work in the Pharma industry while exploring leadership roles on campus.

“The support I received from the UMassD community helped me discover leadership skills within that led to various opportunities,” he says. While at UMassD, Osamah served as a leader for the UMassD New Student and Family, student president of the Pakistani Student Association (PSA), secretary for the Muslim Students Association, and also cultural speaker & ambassador–Pakistan (a program offered by Navitas and the UMass Dartmouth Leduc Center).  

“As the President of PSA, I had a diverse role of helping the organization build notoriety. Collaboratively working together helped us bring great events to the university, like Mehndi Nights (pre-wedding) and other rich cultural galas,” he says. “I love my culture, and learning about new cultures has always been my interest. Promoting the Pakistani culture by serving as president of PSA has positively influenced my life and career. I achieved the goal of enlightening faculty, students, the community, and the campus environment by adding to an already diverse campus audience. Without culture, any community is merely dry. When there are several of them to combine, it makes the perfect mix for learning and engagement opportunities.”

In addition to pursuing extracurricular activities, Sam worked as a life sciences business development and marketing Intern for Viscira (now VMLY&R), a health digital agency located in San Francisco. “ I landed the internship in the summer of 2019. I learned how the Pharma-Biotech world operates, how they launch their medicines and educate patients on different diseases." Osamah is now a full-time business development & marketing associate at Viscira. “It is an amazing place to work because the company really focuses on your career growth. And the marketing and science blend really worked well for me.”

“All the classes, co-curricular activities, guidance from professors and advisors as well as the atmosphere motivated me to become the healthcare marketer I am today.”