We asked our graduating physics buffs what advice they had for other students, where they are headed after CU, and what they will carry with them into their next chapter.
Simone Beach, Bachelor of Arts in Physics
Based on what you know now, what is your best piece of advice for other students?
The most important things I could urge anybody to understand are: not caring what *anybody* else thinks of you; asking for help as often as possible; and, more than anything - taking care of your body. There are so many silly pressures that are easy to succumb to, but nothing in your life will ever be more important than *you* are. Don’t get lost in the degree and what you think it all means - just enjoy the process, these will eventually just be a few years of a long life.
Why did you choose to study physics?
Switching from Aerospace Engineering to Physics was an easy choice. Although I have learning disabilities that have always heavily impacted math and science, I’ve always been fascinated by our universe and wondered how it works. Physics was really intimidating - but so is life itself, and I hoped it would help me understand it better. I still don’t get how airplanes work, though.
Where are you headed after graduation?
I’m no longer quite sure what my next chapter will look like, but my desire is to bridge my understanding of science and societal issues to help build a more sustainable, wholesome, and community-based world. I would also be happy finding a path in education and creating ways to make learning much more accessible. Learning is a gift, but it shouldn’t be an elite privilege.
Sean Deel, Bachelor of Arts in Physics
From your time at CU, what will you carry with you into your next chapter?
I will carry on from CU an extreme curiosity in all that I do. Striving to not just understand the surface of anything but to dive in and grasp the deeper meaning. In even the most mundane I will seek understanding beyond what is just necessary to be the best I can be.
Based on what you know now, what is your best piece of advice for other students?
Everything will be okay at the end. You may make mistakes, like being late to a midterm due to missing a bus, but that won't stop you from continuing on and making it through. Believe in yourself and trust yourself.
Why did you choose to study physics?
I just love how physics describes how the universe works. Every little detail can be understood and explained, and the more physics I learn the more I understand reality.
Olivia Krohn, PhD in Physics
From your time at CU, what will you carry with you into your next chapter?
Graduate school has given me a lot of confidence and self-efficacy to tackle new challenges. This resulted from persistence through situations where I didn’t know (and nobody else knew) how to solve the problems in front of us. I will carry this with me into my new chapter. Along these lines, I would encourage other students that are daunted or nervous about specific projects and challenges within their projects to see this as an opportunity to learn and grow.
Where are you headed after graduation?
I am taking a postdoctoral position at the Gas Phase Chemistry department at Sandia National Laboratories in Livermore, California. I am excited to continue studying reactions dynamics in chemical physics, as I did in my dissertation.
Aaron Young, PhD in Physics
Based on what you know now, what is your best piece of advice for other students?
Obsession over technical details is great and sometimes necessary, but don't lose sight of the big picture questions that got you interested in this whole endeavor in the first place.
Where are you headed after graduation?
I am heading to Boston to do a postdoc in the group of Markus Greiner. We'll be using individually controlled lithium atoms to simulate materials that are otherwise challenging to understand based on either direct measurements, or classical simulation.