Alumni Spotlight
Name: Sofia Lara
Title: Technical Service Manager – Cheese, DSM
What is your background and how did you become interested in the dairy industry?
I graduated from the University of Costa Rica with a bachelor’s degree in Food Engineering. During my senior year, I took a Food Processing course and the dairy science portion was the most interesting to me. I was impressed and intrigued by the versatility in dairy processing. As a dairy enthusiast, it was fascinating to understand and apply so many concepts of chemistry, microbiology, and engineering in order to create so many different products from milk. I also had the opportunity to do an internship in the R&D department of Dos Pinos, Costa Rica’s largest dairy cooperative and that experience reinforced my interest in the dairy industry.
What was your Cornell experience like? (i.e. coursework, dairy related activities, internships, jobs, etc.)
My research in the Alcaine Research Group focused on a novel enzymatic approach to improve the shelf-life of dairy products. I always found the support from the faculty and all the necessary resources to do my research project. While mainly focused on research, I took advantage of the flexibility of the MS program to take courses such as Supply Chain Management, Operations Management, and Project Management to complement my scientific background and have a well-rounded understanding of the industry. In addition, the Dairy Cooperative Extension offers a comprehensive program of workshops and I attended many of them to learn from people in both academia and industry.
As part of extracurricular activities, I participated in a product development competition. The help and encouragement from the Food Science Department were key in our success. Also, thanks to the support of the Dairy Cooperative Extension and industry partners, I participated in the Collegiate Dairy Products Evaluation Contest, an amazing learning experience that allowed me to expand my network within the dairy industry. My experience at Cornell exceeded all my expectations and it definitely opened a lot of opportunities to bolster my career in many ways.
What is your current role in the food industry how does it impact the dairy industry?
In August 2018 I joined DSM Food Specialties as the Technical Service Manager for the cheese team in North America. My job involves providing technical support to our customers at their processing plants to satisfy their needs and achieve the desired performance with products available in our portfolio. I am also involved in training the personnel involved in the cheese processing to help them understand the science or reason behind their duties at the plant and the importance of their role. Given the need for qualified labor in the dairy industry, I am really enjoying the opportunity of getting people excited and interested in dairy science by helping them understand what they do on a daily basis. Furthermore, the conventional cheese making is changing rapidly due to constant efforts to increase efficiency and it is my responsibility to be the interface between R&D and Sales to make sure our portfolio is comprehensive and relevant for the industry.
What overall impact did Cornell training have on your career in the dairy industry?
My time at Cornell improved my research skills and expanded my knowledge in dairy science. What I value the most is the confidence I gained to communicate and develop a network through the constant exposure to qualified individuals in both industry and academia. These experiences taught me how to interact with people with different roles and backgrounds. Also, through research, I developed problem-solving and critical thinking skills that help me evaluate situations and come up with solutions for our customers. And finally, I met many incredible professionals from different fields that I can always reach out to for help or advice, and I consider that key for a successful career in any industry.
