Hello! My name is Elyza, and I am currently double-majoring in physics and astronomy at UW Seattle. My interests are astronomy, nature, and sightseeing, so UW's beautiful campus and landmarks are what inspired me to go to UW (especially the cherry blossoms). Currently, I am quite connected to the UW community through the student organizations and leadership positions I'm in, but in the future, my hopes are to do undergraduate research in astrophysics and to do at least one quarter studying abroad. I would love to chat about the campus and any of these opportunities UW has to offer!

Hometown

Mill Creek, Washington

Major(s)

Physics, Astronomy

Minor(s)

Applied Mathematics

Clubs, organizations & involvement

Treasurer of Society of Physics Students, Member of Reformed University Fellowship, Backend Sub-team Leader of Husky Coding Project

Describe your college experience

A big transition was dorming in a triple at my first year at UW, as I had to be more independent, had nobody to hold me accountable for chores and my academics, and had little to no privacy. It's tough, especially if you're more introverted, but it does teach you real-life skills that would be hard to learn if you're only focused on school. Exploring multiple different student organizations and committing my time to three of them made me feel more connected to the UW community and helped me gain valuable skills.

Tip for future students

One downside to UW's quarter system is that it always starts off with little to no work the first 1-2 weeks then starts accelerating rapidly in workload and difficulty. So, it's best to make sure you understand the foundations the first few weeks to make the second half a little easier (and, most importantly, don't procrastinate). Often, if a professor struggles with explaining concepts well in lecture, then attending their office hours is a better way to learn at your own pace. Professors enjoy students coming in to learn and chat, so you're not a bother to them.

Favorite class

For an easy STEM class: Space and Space Travel (ESS 102). You learn about the basics of space exploration (such as the composition of various objects in space and rocket propulsion). The best part was writing a paper on a space mission you get to propose to help solve an ongoing research topic​/​limitation. The best non-STEM class I've taken: Public Debate (COM 234). Instead of doing your own debates, you analyze debates instead. One Washington State Representative came to our lecture to debate about an actual WA State policy that was recently on one of the ballots to vote on, which was fun and interesting.

Career goals

Hopefully, I either get into a PhD graduate program in astrophysics in the US or a Masters program in astrophysics somewhere in Europe.

Ideal way to spend a free night

Playing jazz songs on the piano at night sounds relaxing. Someday, I'd love to stargaze with a telescope to look at stars, planets, and galaxies and get into astrophotography.

High school or secondary school

Henry M. Jackson High School (Mill Creek, Washington)