SAN MARCOS, Calif. – Years of studying at Cal State San Marcos turned into the job of a lifetime for former men’s soccer student-athlete Evan Myers.
After graduating in 2015 with a Bachelor of Science in Biochemistry, Myers earned a position with local biotech company TriLink Biotechnologies and credits CSUSM for turning a job into a passion.
Evan Myers Working for TriLink
“I got lucky to be honest,” Myers said. “It was my education at CSUSM that really turned me on to biochemistry, chemistry and biology. When I graduated, I applied to a few companies but found a fit here at TriLink. Once I began working in the biotech industry and saw the impact, I realized the importance of what we do, and I was hooked.”
As a scientist working with mRNA process development, Myers is in charge of scaling up the company’s mRNA purification techniques and develops processes that will allow for highly pure mRNA to be used in research, vaccines, toxicology studies, pharmaceuticals and more. This work has now emerged as an important component in helping find a vaccine for COVID-19 across the globe.
Evan Myers Working for TriLink
“TriLink is growing at an incredibly fast rate and COVID-19 is adding fuel to the fire,” Myers said. “My team recently developed a process for purifying RNA for Imperial College London, who is using our RNA for a COVID-19 vaccine currently in trials in Europe. Prior to Covid-19, TriLink was still growing and producing these products for companies, but now that we are seeing a global interest in mRNA-based vaccines or technology, scientific developed processes are of even higher interest.”
Evan Myers Working for TriLink
A native of Poway, Myers was a two-year starting defender for the Cougars after transferring from nearby Palomar College. In 34 games, he compiled four goals, four assists and 12 points for CSUSM and was an A.I.I. honorable mention in 2013. In addition to his athletic success, he was a star in the classroom as Myers became CSUSM’s first-ever CoSIDA Academic All-American in 2014.
“I owe a lot to Coach Ron Pulvers and the athletics program at CSUSM,”
Myers said. “Coach Ron always emphasized that he would be proudest of us if we turned into all-around good human beings. To do this, he instilled the ideas of hard work pays off, what it means to be part of team, leadership, respect, responsibility and most of all, setting the example of what it looks like to be a great person. He was a role model on the field and off.”
Evan Myers Against San Diego Christian
Myers hopes his own story of being a student-athlete at CSUSM and getting to the position he’s at today inspires current Cougars to take advantage of what the University has to offer in forging their own path in the journey to graduating.
Evan Myers Working for TriLink
“I would let everyone know to enjoy their time at CSUSM and really utilize all the resources that CSUSM has to offer,” Myers said. “The campus is full of hidden gems, whether it’s the teaching staff, STEM center, the brand-new student center or brand-new gym, it’s all at the students’ disposal. CSUSM is a growing University that has everything and more a student or a student-athlete can ask for.”
