Why did you choose to study at WPI? 

I chose WPI for three main reasons: its strong sense of community, flexibility with course requirements, and project-based learning. The community here is extremely vibrant, with numerous ways to meet new people through clubs and project work. Everyone here is very supportive of each other's academic success. Regardless of your major, WPI offers a lot of flexibility within my coursework without prerequisites, allowing a wide range of options to meet various requirements for my major such as the  humanities & arts, social science, and several disciplinary elective courses. Additionally, the emphasis on project-based learning is significant, with opportunities such as Great Problems Seminar (GPS) courses, the Interactive Qualifying Project (IQP), the Major Qualifying Project (MQP), as well as numerous group projects integrated into many courses.

 

How are you involved with the WPI community? 

I enjoy giving tours for Crimson Key because I can inform prospective families about my WPI experience and student life on campus. As a community advisor, I help first-year students with their transition to college throughout the semester and lead activities during orientation, such as Orientation Olympics. In Math Club, we explore and present interesting math phenomena. For example, last year, I ran an investigation on graphing unique math functions which formed shapes like the heart. I also manage our Instagram page for meeting updates. Running Club is fairly flexible depending on what you're looking for in running. We have short and long runs, occasional optional track meets, and indoor and outdoor runs in the winter. I have met amazing people and enjoyed the inclusive, supportive environment.

 

What’s your favorite thing about WPI? 

In addition to my top three reasons for choosing WPI, I enjoy the on-campus events, especially Pep Rally every September. It is the biggest event of the year, organized by SGA with several food trucks and BBQs from fraternities and sororities, live music, skits, and performances from many student groups. The highlight is when free WPI merch is tossed into the crowd, which I always manage to catch! Two days later, the annual rope pull is a traditional rivalry between first-year students and sophomores, with campus groups and other class years joining in. Additionally, clubs host movie nights in lecture halls and on the quad during early A-term (fall), which are always a blast to go to with friends!

 

Do you have a faculty or staff mentor? 

Professor Uricchio: He was my professor for Calculus II and IV, and ODEs (ordinary differential equations). In these courses, I learned some cool integration techniques and how they related to real-life scenarios, such as Newton's law of cooling. In Calc IV, I found visualizing 3D-shapes with equations to be a big learning curve, but every time I had questions, he would instantly respond and help me overcome those challenges. He always found ways to keep the class engaged through lectures, such as color-coding his notes, and I learned so much from his courses!
   
Professor Blais: For Calculus III, he turned a notoriously difficult course into one of my favorite ones here. While teaching us series, he used many cool analogies to help us learn their significance and how they can be useful to approximate measurements while constructing bridges. I also have him for Linear Programming, which is equally amazing! In a few lectures, he brought in real sacks with balls that glow to simulate how matrices pivot when computing the simplex method with tableaus! Overall, he taught me how to make meaning out of the content I am learning, especially within its applications, which I have really enjoyed a lot.
   
Professor Ingrid Matos-Nin: Lastly, when I came here, for my HUA (humanities & arts requirement), I was hoping to get more immersed in the Spanish language. I was thrown a lot of curveballs within my first two courses, and I was nervous to continue with the language. However, when I had Professor Matos-Nin, she had many Spanish short films and believed in our fluency to write in Spanish more than our test performance. I enjoyed her courses a lot because she helped me realize why I enjoy learning the language and has encouraged me to continue with a minor. As I am completing my capstone experience, she is advising the project. I am researching the historical significance of how Spanish civilizations have contributed to the development of today's fundamental algebra while translating the English sources directly into Spanish.

 

How has WPI’s project-based learning influenced your education? 

Project-based learning at WPI has been invaluable, especially within group work. I have learned how to exchange ideas and make compromises, even with challenging group dynamics. These skills are crucial for the industry. I have completed many impactful group projects, beyond the IQP and MQP, and learned how to apply those concepts in my coursework. For example, in CS 1004 (intro to programming course), my group and I designed a text-based game in JavaScript. In DS 1010 (intro to data science course), we analyzed datasets within video game sales and the COVID vaccinations. In calculus courses, I explored applications like financial loans and geometric shapes through labs, while linear algebra involved modeling the COVID spread with SIR matrices. I also learned about image processing with biomedical x-rays in MATLAB (programming language), while modeling weather patterns and GUI (graphical user interface) within Java code for CS 2119 (application building with object-oriented concepts course).