A Higher Calling
JoaoPaulo “JP” Miranda is big on quality. “Quality relationships, quality products, quality services, those things I value tremendously,” he said.
Raised by parents who both own small businesses, Miranda has seen the reward of giving people the best of the best. Since childhood, he found himself constantly observing how businesses work, from the perspective of an individual employee to the entire management system. So, it made sense when he chose a business management major at Endicott.
But Miranda wasn’t always set on his current path. He first attended Bridgewater State University as an aviation science major in hopes of becoming a pilot. After many years of taking family trips to Brazil, Miranda had fallen in love with the feeling of flight and wanted to pursue it himself. But within his first three days at Bridgewater, he realized that the school didn’t have the close-knit, extroverted community he was looking for, and he quickly transferred to Endicott.
“I don’t like to settle for anything. If I’m somewhere I don’t want to be, I’m not going to stay there,” he said.
At Endicott, Miranda knew immediately that the atmosphere was one he wanted to stay in. He was in awe of the campus and the energy of the students. The faculty and staff in particular also stood out to him as people whom he could trust, and he’s forged close connections with everyone from Executive Director of the Angle Center Gina Deschamps to Assistant Vice President and Dean of Students Marlin Nabors.
“They are doing everything possible to benefit the student body, upgrading and improving whatever they can. They are truly looking to help students succeed; you can see that clearly. That’s what really made me think, ‘Wow, I’m at the right place.’”
At Endicott, Miranda sought to help other students find their place at the College, too. He became an Orientation Leader and a Resident Assistant and was named a Presidential Ambassador. His ambitious nature, coupled with his work ethic, eventually led to his greatest opportunity yet.
Miranda had several positions to choose from for his senior year internship, but none of them felt quite right. Inspired by a previous internship at bluebird bio, a biotech company specializing in gene therapy, Miranda wanted to pursue a quality assurance career in biotech where he could help develop products that would save lives.
Enter: Moderna.
Just as Miranda was flying home from Florida, where he was building houses for Habitat for Humanity during Alternative Spring Break, he saw a quality assurance internship with the Cambridge-based mRNA giant.
“I was like, ‘Oh my gosh, I need this, I need to apply,’” recalled Miranda. “As soon as I got off the plane, I had my backpack, my jacket on, and everything, and I opened up my computer when I got home and applied right away. I didn’t even take my jacket off.”
As Moderna’s R&D quality intern, Miranda helped teams in their development of quality, life-saving drugs. He reported directly to the vice president and worked with a hand-picked leadership team that interfaced with various stakeholders and health authorities. Miranda, who’d been focused on pursuing a high-quality life and inspiring the same in those around him, had finally found a career that matched his higher calling.
The company extended Miranda’s internship and he returned to class, only this time as a part-time employee. Just recently, Moderna asked Miranda to come aboard as a full-time Project Coordinator after he graduates from Endicott.
“I really want to continue my journey there because I enjoy the work I do,” Miranda said. “It’s interesting and there’s something new every day.”
Miranda feels optimistic about his future at Moderna. The team, culture, and fast-paced environment are exactly what he was always looking for.
“We move so quickly that it feels like you’re building the plane while you’re flying it,” he said.
But even with a job lined up, Miranda isn’t done with Endicott—he’s returning this summer to earn an MBA in project management. And he has plans for that pilot’s license.
“I like to keep the ball moving, and I’m very ambitious. I just run after things,” he said. “I always like to say that it’s not the destination that matters, it’s the journey. The journey is really what’s going to define you.”