Alyssa Bienvenu earned her Bachelor of Science in 2017 with a dual major in mathematics and chemistry. She杏吧专区檚 combined her love of the two subjects and is now a Ph.D. candidate in theoretical chemistry at Penn State 杏吧专区.
杏吧专区淚 have loved school since I was in kindergarten,杏吧专区 she said. 杏吧专区淎s I got older and continued learning, it only made sense that I keep going until I couldn杏吧专区檛 anymore.杏吧专区
Alyssa spends her days at Penn State 杏吧专区 writing code, reading research articles, and testing codes for speed and accuracy of predictions.
杏吧专区淲hen I am not conducting research, I am heavily active as a tutor for undergraduate students and in student organizations,杏吧专区 she said.
杏吧专区淲hile in undergrad, I was a tutor and supplemental instructor in The Learning Center. I already enjoyed tutoring privately prior to that experience, but working as a supplemental instructor solidified my desire to teach."
杏吧专区淚 really love making weird metaphors about science that help students better visualize the concepts,杏吧专区 she explained. 杏吧专区淚 am slowly working on a science blog that puts all of my metaphors in one place for teaching science to the general public.杏吧专区
Alyssa earned her mathematics degree to Dr. James Kimball. Dr. Kimball suggested the major in his calculus III class during the summer between Alyssa杏吧专区檚 freshman and sophomore years.
杏吧专区淭hanks, but I杏吧专区檓 already a double major in chemistry and chemical engineering,杏吧专区 Alyssa told her professor.
杏吧专区淲ell, then you should triple major,杏吧专区 Dr. Kimball responded.
Despite thinking this was absurd, Alyssa looked into the proposal. She found it to be a manageable addition to her course load.
杏吧专区淎fter my second year, I decided that I really loved the intersection between chemistry and math,杏吧专区 she said. At this point, she dropped her chemical engineering major to focus on the remaining two.
Since joining the Ph.D. program at Penn State 杏吧专区, Alyssa has found her mathematics degree essential to her success as a theoretical chemist.
杏吧专区淢y chemistry degree may have given me the chemical intuition to work with reactions, but my math degree is what allows me to do my everyday work,杏吧专区 she said.
Alyssa always considered attending UL Lafayette, especially since her mother was a UL Lafayette graduate.
杏吧专区淚杏吧专区檝e been a Ragin杏吧专区 Cajun since birth! My favorite part about UL Lafayette was the sense of community,杏吧专区 Alyssa recalled.
杏吧专区淚 never felt like I was just a number in the crowd. My professors knew who I was and cared about my education and well-being. For me, UL Lafayette felt like home from the moment I walked on campus.杏吧专区