Angela Harper,
Wake Forest

Degrees: B.S. in Physics; Minors in Mathematics and Computer Science

How did the Stamps Scholarship help shape your undergraduate experience?
With the Stamps Scholarship, I was able to travel to London to study computational bioinformatics at University College London, attend a conference in Barcelona, and travel throughout Europe. I have met so many amazing people and traveled to many places that I never would have without it.

Tell us a piece of wisdom you’ve learned over the past four years.
Life can be unpredictable. People and places come and go, and you can never tell what each day will bring, so just remember there is no day but today. Do what makes you happy, spend time with the people who mean the most to you, and go places you never thought you would. And most of all, treat each negative experience as a learning experience for the future.

Who has had the greatest impact on you throughout your college career and how so?
My mentor, professor, and friend Dr. Oana Jurchescu. I have worked in her lab for the past two years and she has taught me about becoming a scientist and the importance of supporting women in the field.

What’s your favorite Stamps Scholar memory?
When I went to my first conference and met Mr. Stamps, he remembered hearing about me from my scholarship adviser, and I knew that he cared so much about these students, just to remember one person out of hundreds felt amazing. The opportunity to meet and to thank him for everything he and his foundation have done was incredible for me.

What comes next?
Next year I will be going to Cambridge University on the Churchill Scholarship getting an MPhil in Physics. Then, I will be attending University of California Berkeley pursuing a PhD in Materials Science to hopefully one day become a professor and researcher in Materials Science and Engineering.

Please share your favorite inspirational quote.
“If I have seen further it is by standing on the shoulders of giants” – Isaac Newton