Atish Choudhury '95 - Cancer Care and Research

by Joyce Fang '27 and Angela Xiang '27 for Silver Quest

The Magnet Program 

One stop of his journey happens to be Blair’s Magnet Program, which built a foundation for his science education and motivated him to learn more. “The Magnet Program put me in an environment with supremely talented people—both students and teachers,” Choudhury says. “It created higher expectations for learning and gave me an in-depth education in the sciences, which formed the foundation of my career.”

Choudhury credits the program with helping him develop important skills like time management and multitasking, which allowed him to rise up to the demands of college. “By the time I got to college, I was much more prepared for the rigors of higher education,” he explains. 

Despite the Magnet Program’s academically demanding environment, Choudhury emphasizes the importance of finding one’s own path and not comparing oneself to others. “I had to learn to focus on my own interests and strengths instead of trying to compete in every subject,” he says. This mindset helped him succeed and find joy in his academic journey.

Outside of academics, Choudhury participated in activities like the It’s Academic team, which won the championship during his senior year (WaPo archive). He also explored non-STEM interests by joining cultural groups and taking Bengali singing classes. These experiences, he notes, helped him build a well-rounded perspective.

Choudhury believed Blair’s diversity was one of its greatest strengths, exposing him to a wide range of backgrounds and perspectives. However, he mentioned that this experience can make it surprising to encounter less diverse environments later in life. “Blair’s diversity is unique and prepares you in some ways, but it’s also very different from what many people experience,” he says.

Choosing a Career Path 

Surprisingly, the class that Choudhury attributes to a turning point in his career was not a Magnet elective, but instead AP Chemistry. “AP Chemistry was a double-period class with detailed labs, and it really sparked my interest in science,” he shares. 

Even though his first interest was in molecular biology, Choudhury realized that improving patient care was his primary passion. “When I went to graduate school and then did a postdoctoral fellowship, [the] expectation was that I would have a career where I would [lead] my own basic science lab,” he explains, before adding, “but during my training, I just learned that patient care is something that really suits me.”  

Choudhury’s experience emphasizes that students do not need to know everything about their career path during high school. In fact, finding a career best suited for an individual is a journey that can take years. “[It] took many, many years to really find my niche,” Choudhury comments, “so I think that people at this stage of high school should just understand that there’s a lot of learning and growing and changing that happens in the years after high school is done.” 

Looking back, Choudhury encourages current Magnet students to explore interests outside of STEM and to focus on what makes them unique. “High school is a time to build a foundation and start discovering your skills and passions,” he says. He also advises students not to feel pressured to do everything but to find joy in their pursuits.

Even years after graduating, Choudhury remains connected with his Blair classmates. He and a group of friends have maintained a fantasy football league for 20 years, meeting regularly to reconnect. “The Magnet Program created lifelong friendships,” he reflects.