Sense of community at Binghamton led BOLD 10 Under 10 alumni award winner to public health career

Through the BOLD (Bearcats of the Last Decade) 10 Under 10 Awards, Binghamton University honors alumni who have graduated within the last 10 years, demonstrated a very high level of career achievement since leaving campus, and show great potential for future leadership.

The Alumni Association will present its 2026 Special Recognition Awards on April 25 at the Holiday Inn Binghamton Downtown.

Two of this year’s winners are alumni of the Thomas J. Watson College of Engineering and Applied Science. We asked them how Watson influenced their lives and career paths.

Clare Biging ’16 is an epidemiologist and public health advocate at the New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene. She is the recipient of the 2023 Distinguished Service Award in Public Health for championing health equity and community engagement during the Mpox outbreak.

Her work focuses on increasing health education and knowledge of HIV prevention tools in underserved communities.

Biging graduated with a bachelor’s degree in bioengineering from Binghamton University in 2016, and she earned a master’s in public health from Columbia University in 2018. She resides in Brooklyn with her husband and cat.

What is it like receiving an award like this?

We live in a system that we cannot control, but we have the ability to influence it. It’s very heartening to receive this award because it reinforces to me that I am making a positive impact on my community. I hope I can inspire current students and alumni to similarly use their Binghamton education to help and protect those around us.

How do you think your time at Watson set you up for success?

Watson showed me that teamwork and community are essential to getting the best work done. Everything I have accomplished has been with the help and support of my classmates, teachers, co-workers, friends, and family. Watson’s tough curriculum quickly taught us that we wouldn’t be able to get far without leaning on each other, which was crucial to my success in the working world.

Which Watson class or professor changed the way you thought about your area of study?

Distinguished Service Professor George Catalano was extremely influential to me in my senior year at Binghamton, as well as my decision to pursue a Masters of Public Health. In a field of study that often encourages graduates to find the most financially beneficial career paths after college, no matter the moral implications, Professor Catalano always pushed us to use our skills, as well as the abundance of specialized resources we had access to as Binghamton students, to give back to community members in need. I use the lessons that he taught me regularly in my work supporting the health of New Yorkers.

What are some of your favorite memories from your time at Binghamton?

Many of my favorite memories come from the countless times my friends and I leaned on each other to get through hard times and difficult assignments. We built camaraderie among all the students in the bioengineering major, which at the time was only about 50 students. We even ended our senior year by renting out a space in Binghamton and celebrating all together as a group. It’s these experiences that helped solidify how important building and maintaining your community is. We had to help each other to cross the finish line, and the accomplishment was even sweeter when we could celebrate our hard work together.

What advice would you give to current Watson students?

The mindset of many engineering students is to look at everyone around them and see nothing but competition, but this is a trap. If you truly want to thrive, both in school and in life, you need to understand that when the people around you succeed, you in turn succeed. A rising tide raises all ships.

So be the person who uplifts those around you and try to consider how you can use your unique abilities and skills to creatively and positively impact the world.