什么风把你吹来了?  你为什么选择它?

I grew up in San Diego and decided that I wanted to go east for college.  我在找小的, 文理学院经历, so my dad and I went on a four-day college tour and saw a total of 12 schools.  那是我第一次来东海岸.  Marist was the first school I looked at, and the others didn’t even compare.  I was really impressed with Marist and its approach to education – the idea of getting to know my professors and having actually real-world experiences, 不只是死记硬背.  我也被bet亚洲365欢迎投注大学强大的数学项目所吸引.

 

Describe your Marist experience so far, both academics and extracurricular activities.

Being at Marist has been a really eye-opening experience for me, 我在智力上对自己有了更多的了解.  For example, I’ve learned that I love to make connections between difference subject areas.  I’ve also discovered that I really enjoy doing research because it’s an adventure – you never know where it may lead you.

I major in applied math and have minors in economics and data science and analytics, and this combination is helping me do some really unique research on women in Latin America.  作为荣誉课程项目的一部分, I’ll be examining macro- versus micro-economies and creating a compartmentalized model of how government funding is being deployed and how it could be deployed more effectively.  I plan to look at data like birth rates and school attendance and create equations based on those parameters.  I’m starting with Mexico because it’s the country I know best, 但我将把我的研究扩展到该地区的其他国家.  My advisor is [Associate Professor of Mathematics] Matthew Glomski, 谁真正把我置于他的羽翼之下.

这一年我一直很忙.  我参加了荣誉课程, 我是招生大使, 我在玛丽斯特舞蹈团教书.  I also have four part-time jobs – I’m the senior research assistant at the Bureau of Economic Research, a tour guide, a math tutor, 以及年度基金的高级PhoneAThon助理.  Through my work at the PhoneAThon, I have the chance to talk to Marist alumni, which I really enjoy.  当我参观校园的时候, I especially love talking with prospective students who are interested in mathematics because most aren’t aware of the endless possibilities that studying math can open up for you.  在来bet亚洲365欢迎投注之前, I would never have been able to imagine half the things I have learned or accomplished.  For example, I would have never been able to wrap my head around the idea of modeling nature with math or redefining half of algebra, 但现在我做到了. 

 

You had a National Science Foundation-sponsored Research Experience for Undergraduates (REU).  那是什么感觉??

Between my freshman and sophomore years, I had the opportunity to do an REU at St. 马里兰玛丽学院.  My advisor Professor Glomski thought of me for this opportunity, and a Marist alumnus helped me with my essay and application.  我和另外11个REU学生住在校园里, 我们还去了华盛顿, 华盛顿和巴尔的摩.  整整七个星期, my research partner and I worked with raw data and conducted preliminary modeling on sub-Arctic active layer thickness in order to research permafrost melt.  It was so hands-on, and I learned so many skills during those seven weeks!  夏天结束的时候, 我们把我们的研究交给了一群高中生, 谁将继续这项工作.  明年夏天我肯定会再申请一个REU.

我特别感谢圣. Mary’s REU program because she told me I should go to graduate school, 这是我从未想过的.  She saw that I really liked data modeling and also made the point that there are not enough women in fields like applied mathematics.  所以读研现在是我计划的一部分.

 

Are there specific faculty members who have really had an impact on you?

As I mentioned, 格隆斯基教授对我影响很大, 但整个数学系也是如此.  In San Diego, 我上的是一所优秀的表演艺术学校, then transferred to another school that was better academically.  I had to do a lot of catch-up in terms of the knowledge I needed – for example, I only learned Roman numerals last year – but I have always been able to go to my department and ask for help.  I would also point to [Affiliate Assistant Professor of Economics] Christy Caridi, 我在经济研究局为谁工作.  She has always been so helpful advising me on what classes I should take to help prepare me for the real world.  Finally, I’m grateful to [Associate Professor of Philosophy] James Snyder, 谁来指导荣誉课程.  I can go to him with ideas, and he’ll always listen and give me honest feedback.

 

你在国外学习过吗??

没有，但我希望有机会这样做.  I’m particularly interested in going to Italy and taking in all of its beautiful culture, art, 和建筑.  It sounds crazy, but math has a lot of crossover with art in terms of ratios, perspective, etc.  建筑背后有很多数学, and there’s even math in wine tasting if you think about the fermentation rate.  In addition to being a great artist, Leonardo da Vinci was also a talented mathematician.

 

你觉得你为什么这么有动力?

Because I’m the first in my family to have this type of educational opportunity.  我的父母都是从墨西哥移民到美国的.  My dad left Mexico City when he was my age and got a job at a factory.  He was a really hard worker, and management saw his potential and paid for him to go to school.  他在32岁时获得了学位.  我妈妈和祖母都是数学天才, 但他们从来没有机会上学.  所以我真的很有动力.  I’m also usually the only Hispanic female in my classes, so that also drives me to excel.

 

毕业后你想做什么?

After Marist, I want to pursue a career in data analytics and modeling.  I plan to complete my master’s degree and then work in industry.  我也可能对完成博士学位感兴趣, which would make me the first in my family to have received education beyond a bachelor’s degree. 一旦我变老, I plan to go back to school for multiple degrees to keep learning in similar fields, 比如商业或计算机科学. 我也想成为教育的倡导者, especially for young girls in impoverished communities because I have been blessed with an opportunity that many others do not receive.