Caltech Trustee Rebecka Belldegrun and her husband, Arie Belldegrun, have pledged $2 million to build on the strengths of Caltech’s career services by expanding individualized career guidance and leadership development. The couple, who run the biotechnology investment firm Bellco Capital, will advance the Institute’s commitment to individualized career planning and help each student identify professional paths aligning with their passions.

Thanks to the Belldegruns’ support, the Career Achievement, Leadership, and Exploration (CALE) office will implement several high-impact programs, including achievement coaches for STEM undergraduates, graduate students and postdoctoral scholars, and pre-health students. All three strategic initiatives will help students develop leadership and soft skills while focusing on their specific needs and aspirations; the STEM Achievement Coach will blend academic and career advising, the Graduate Student and Postdoc Achievement Coach will help young researchers gain industry experience, and the Pre-Health Student Achievement Coach will provide support for the medical school application process and expand partnerships with hospitals to provide students with vital preceptorship opportunities.

To remove some of the hurdles that affect equity and inclusion in science and engineering, the Belldegruns’ gift also will provide stipends for unpaid internships and grants for underrepresented students to attend conferences. Finally, the remaining funds will enable technology and other infrastructure upgrades and boost professional development opportunities for staff.

The wide-ranging initiatives reflect the seismic shift in the job application and graduate school admissions process, says Claire Ralph, CALE director and lecturer in the Computing and Mathematical Sciences department. Interviews are longer, applications are more complex, and students’ ability to secure their first-choice job or school is more competitive than ever, she adds.

The Belldegruns, who began their careers as physicians but later pivoted professions and industries, recognize the value of career coaching.

"Career success doesn’t just happen on its own," Rebecka says. "At different points in our careers, Arie and I benefited from mentorship and guidance. Sometimes a question as simple as 'Have you thought about this?' can set you on the right path. Ensuring Caltech has an open and welcoming space where all students can learn how to fulfill their dreams is exactly the type of impact Arie and I want to make."

Career Success Presents Itself in Many Forms

The Belldegruns’ generosity reflects their passion for education, scientific research, and fast-tracking progress.

In the 1990s, Arie, a practicing urologic oncologist and a urology professor at UCLA David Geffen School of Medicine, became frustrated with the pace of government funding for translational medical research. To more swiftly bring lifesaving therapies to patients, Arie launched a series of life science research and investment firms including Agensys, Kite Pharma, and Cougar Biotechnology. Arie and his colleagues developed immunotherapies, including treatments that are widely used today for patients living with metastatic prostate cancer and advanced blood cancers such as lymphoma and leukemia.

Rebecka, a former ophthalmologist who oversaw developments, investments, and acquisitions of commercial properties as president of Intertech Corporation, joined Arie in 2003 to launch Bellco Capital. Later, Bellco established Breakthrough Properties, in partnership with global real estate firm Tishman Speyer, which acquires and develops properties for life science companies. The couple continues to catalyze lifesaving immunotherapies through Bellco and other projects including Vida Ventures.

The Belldegruns say they are driven to help patients live longer, healthier lives. The ability to accomplish that goal from multiple perspectives and careers is a lesson Arie would like Caltech students to learn. Through the CALE gift, Arie says students will receive additional support to understand the many options available to them.

"We want to help students develop the mindset very early on that there is not just one way for them to fulfill their passions," Arie says. "Basic science is one option, but so is business and translational research. If they do not know what they do not know, how can they weigh their career options?"

A Career Journey That Begins with a Roadmap

The achievement coaches have the potential to impact nearly every student and postdoc on campus. By the end of the year, CALE will pilot the Pre-Health Achievement Coach program to guide medical school applicants through the admissions process. Beyond having stellar grades and high scores on standardized test scores, aspiring doctors must also submit secondary applications and take additional tests designed to gauge their judgment and professional behavior. The coach will mentor students and establish a preceptorship program to help Caltech students gain valuable experience shadowing physicians in a clinical setting.

Next year, Ralph will recruit a STEM Achievement Coach for undergraduates. That professional will help students integrate advice from faculty, alumni, and other mentors and identify soft skills and extracurricular experiences to attain their professional pursuits. The goal, Ralph says, is for students to develop a holistic career plan. In the coming years, Ralph plans to expand the program to include paid peer coaches to promote CALE services and harness student-to-student relationships to ensure the center is connected, accessible, and relevant to students.

The Belldegruns also recognize two significant hurdles graduate students and postdocs face in gaining industry experience. First, due to privacy and security concerns related to Caltech research, graduate students and postdocs must obtain approval from several administrative offices when applying for an internship. Second, nearly half of the Institute’s graduate students and more than 60 percent of postdocs were born and educated abroad and may need assistance in navigating the US job market. A new Graduate Student and Postdoc Achievement Coach will address both these issues.

"The ability for CALE to rapidly act on new ideas and establish programs that have been rigorously audited and shown to be effective is exciting," says Ralph who notes that CMS-EE-Finance Mentoring Days and the Institute’s Design Your Life course began as pilot programs. "I am grateful the Belldegruns see the value of what we’re doing and want to put Caltech students in the best position to make an impact on the world."