Degree: B.S. in Materials Engineering
How did the Stamps Scholarship help shape your undergraduate experience?
I was able to go to Cuba over spring break with my enrichment funds, which was a very unique experience.
Tell us a piece of wisdom you’ve learned over the past four years.
It’s good to have an overall plan for where you want to go in life, but it’s also important to be opportunistic. It’s impossible to anticipate all the different paths your life and career can take, so some decisions have to be made as they arise.
Who has had the greatest impact on you throughout your college career and how so?
I’ve had a couple of postdoctoral scholars as mentors over the summer that have had a huge impact on me professionally. They embody a lot of the goals I have for myself, and it’s really powerful to see people that I like and respect achieving those goals. In addition to that, they’ve taught me many practical things about being successful as a research scientist.
What’s your favorite Stamps Scholar memory?
I enjoyed organizing a rock climbing trip to the Purdue Recreational Center Climbing Wall quite a bit during the Stamps regional conference held at Purdue in Fall of 2016.
What comes next?
Immediately over the summer, I will be returning to the National Renewable Energy Lab for a second internship there working with my previous mentor once more. Immediately after that (like driving from my last day of work to the airport sort of immediately), I’ll be flying to Germany for a Fulbright Grant studying solar cell research at Fraunhofer ISE for a year. I’ll then be pursuing a PhD in Materials Science studying semiconductors. I’m not sure where exactly I’ll go yet, but I have a short list in mind.
Please share your favorite inspirational quote.
I like Carl Sagan’s quote about the pale blue dot. It’s a bit long to share here, so it’s better to just Google it.