Alyssa Bienvenu earned her Bachelor of Science in 2017 with a dual major in mathematics and chemistry. She小蝌蚪APP檚 combined her love of the two subjects and is now a Ph.D. candidate in theoretical chemistry at Penn State 小蝌蚪APP.
小蝌蚪APP淚 have loved school since I was in kindergarten,小蝌蚪APP she said. 小蝌蚪APP淎s I got older and continued learning, it only made sense that I keep going until I couldn小蝌蚪APP檛 anymore.小蝌蚪APP
Alyssa spends her days at Penn State 小蝌蚪APP writing code, reading research articles, and testing codes for speed and accuracy of predictions.
小蝌蚪APP淲hen I am not conducting research, I am heavily active as a tutor for undergraduate students and in student organizations,小蝌蚪APP she said.
小蝌蚪APP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."
小蝌蚪APP淚 really love making weird metaphors about science that help students better visualize the concepts,小蝌蚪APP she explained. 小蝌蚪APP淚 am slowly working on a science blog that puts all of my metaphors in one place for teaching science to the general public.小蝌蚪APP
Alyssa earned her mathematics degree to Dr. James Kimball. Dr. Kimball suggested the major in his calculus III class during the summer between Alyssa小蝌蚪APP檚 freshman and sophomore years.
小蝌蚪APP淭hanks, but I小蝌蚪APP檓 already a double major in chemistry and chemical engineering,小蝌蚪APP Alyssa told her professor.
小蝌蚪APP淲ell, then you should triple major,小蝌蚪APP 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.
小蝌蚪APP淎fter my second year, I decided that I really loved the intersection between chemistry and math,小蝌蚪APP 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 小蝌蚪APP, Alyssa has found her mathematics degree essential to her success as a theoretical chemist.
小蝌蚪APP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,小蝌蚪APP she said.
Alyssa always considered attending UL Lafayette, especially since her mother was a UL Lafayette graduate.
小蝌蚪APP淚小蝌蚪APP檝e been a Ragin小蝌蚪APP Cajun since birth! My favorite part about UL Lafayette was the sense of community,小蝌蚪APP Alyssa recalled.
小蝌蚪APP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.小蝌蚪APP