After receiving his bachelor's, Terwilliger moved to New York City to look for a job in music, but later found himself drawn to a graduate school program in genetics and development at Columbia University Medical Center.
Nach seinem Bachelor-Abschluss zog Terwilliger nach New York City, um einen Job in der Musikbranche zu suchen, fand aber später zu einem Graduiertenprogramm für Genetik und Entwicklung am Columbia University Medical Center.