Post by Wanda Lindquist

I’m overwhelmingly excited to share that I graduated summa cum laude with a Bachelor of Science in Physics and Mathematics from Illinois Wesleyan University. I’m so honored to have received the Harold C. Hodge President's Club Award in Natural Science and Mathematics, which is awarded at commencement to one student for outstanding achievement in the natural sciences and mathematics. Over the past four years, I held three positions at Argonne National Laboratory, served five presidential terms across our student chapters of SPIE, the international society for optics and photonics (2x), the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers, and Pi Mu Epsilon, the mathematics honor society (2x), presented eight times at various conferences and events around the country, presented nine times at the John Wesley Powell undergraduate research conference, TAed a total of fifteen courses across departments, among many other things... and a partridge in a pear tree. I’m very grateful to all of my mentors (across internships and academics) and all of my professors, for challenging me and supporting me so completely. I’m especially grateful to Dr. Gabe Spalding and Dr. Narendra Jaggi for introducing me to a completely mystical and humorous world of thought and physics that has undoubtedly changed my life. And even more thanks to Rick Lindquist cause I probably wouldn't be here otherwise.