Sean Hurvitz ’23 was happily working his way through a mechanical engineering B.S. degree at LMU Frank R. Seaver College of Science and Engineering when he started thinking about his post-grad options. While he maintained a strong interest in engineering, he realized during his junior year that there was another path he wanted to explore: medical school.
Enter the Seaver post-baccalaureate program that prepares students who have not taken the traditional pre-med route.
After determining that his enduring interest in the medical field — a passion he had sidelined since high school — was not something he was willing to give up on, he found the solution. “I had no idea how I would segue onto that path,” Hurvitz said. “I didn’t even know what a post-bac program was.”
Hurvitz’s research revealed that the LMU post-bac program offered the kind of tailored, supportive educational experience he was looking for. “They cater the experience to what you’ve already done,” he said. This customization allows students such as Hurvitz to leverage their unique backgrounds toward their medical career goals.
At the heart of his smooth transition into the post-bac program was Courtney Klipp, the program director, whose guidance was invaluable. “Courtney’s been really helpful in picking and choosing what classes I need to take,” Hurvitz said, comparing the program to others he looked into. “At places like UCLA, USC, they don’t really advise you one-on-one like this.”
The vision Hurvitz sees for his future is unique, blending his engineering expertise with medical practice, particularly within the burgeoning field of biotechnology. His experiences at LMU have already given him a taste of what’s possible at this intersection. As an undergrad, he worked with Professor Brendan Smith from the Mechanical Engineering Department on a device designed to assist physical therapy patients, a project that showcased the potential of engineering solutions to medical problems.
Moreover, Hurvitz’s capstone project, where he developed a navigation system for a surface vehicle that collects water-quality data, underscored his aptitude for integrating multiple disciplines — a skill he believes will set him apart in the medical field. “As a mechanical engineer, I feel like I offer an interesting perspective,” he said.
Beyond the classroom, Hurvitz’s free time also reflects his passion for innovation. He is working on an exoskeleton for an arm that eschews traditional machine learning approaches to avoid the sluggishness often reported in such devices. “I’m trying to work on and build that on my own now,” he said, enthusiastic about pushing the boundaries of current technology.
For Hurvitz and many others at LMU, the post-bac program is more than just a steppingstone to medical school: it is a place where experience and aspiration converge, creating opportunities for interdisciplinary innovation. Under the guidance of mentors such as Klipp and Smith, while being supported by a curriculum that values individual backgrounds and goals, students are uniquely positioned to redefine the boundaries of their careers. Hurvitz will spend his summer working as an EMT as he applies to medical schools, with a bright future dedicated to bridging diverse fields and fostering real-world impact.
