Majors: Physics and chemistry, with a minor in mathematics
Clark Days: Hope came to Clark from North Andover, Mass., with Advanced Placement credits in physics, chemistry, and calculus, making it possible for her to major in two demanding disciplines, minor in another, and still graduate in four years. “Clark is a really welcoming community and not at any point did anyone tell me that I was being too ambitious, which I’ve been told a lot in my life,” she says. She gained research experience and developed her honors thesis by working in physics Professor Michael Boyer’s research lab, and she pursued a capstone research project with chemistry Professor Mark Turnbull. “The professors at Clark really want you to try to achieve anything that you want to achieve,” she says. “They’re really supportive.”
Post-Commencement Plans: Hope was accepted into the University of Washington’s Ph.D. program in chemistry, ranked one of the top 25 doctoral programs in chemistry. “Clark has really great science programs,” Hope says, “and people get accepted at top-notch Ph.D. programs all the time.” Her goal is to land a position in academia to continue with the research she loves.
Observation: Hope especially enjoyed her physics courses with professors Boyer and Alexander Petroff. “They’re both really passionate about science, and they’re both really, really good at explaining things to make sense even if I haven’t seen it before.”