Austintown Fitch High School, 1995 
Received bachelor of science degree in Physics, June 2000 
Continued on to graduate school in Physics at John Carroll University with concentration in experimental optics 

Why did you major in Physics?
I first became interested in physics because I was fascinated by astronomy. Ironically, once I started studying both I realized I liked my pure physics classes better. Studying physics is hard work, but exciting. It opens up a whole new world of understanding about how the universe works. 

Why is Physics the greatest major at YSU?
The YSU Physics department gives its students the best of both worlds. It's small enough to give its students personal attention, but large enough to provide great research opportunities. We're like a family here - fun, open, supportive, and we don't always agree on everything. The majors have a great time together, we work and study together a lot. The professors here are a trip, amazingly intelligent, but always up for a good practical joke. Because we have no graduate students, the undergrads are needed as research assistants. This is an opportunity undergrads don't get at most schools. Working in a research lab was a great experience for me; I realized what being a physicist was really like, and I knew it was what I wanted to do.