Meet physics major Brianna Olalekan

Written byElizabeth Rose-Arcuri

鈥淲ithout coming here, I wouldn鈥檛 know the things I can do with my major or can do with my knowledge. Now, I see you can work for the government, work in brain surgery, work in engineering 鈥 everything comes together. You see where physics fits everywhere.鈥

Brianna Olalekan
Major
Physics
Hometown
Baton Rouge, La.

Where I'm From

I鈥檓 from Baton Rouge, where my high school physics teacher taught me how to see the world differently.

Where I Am

I鈥檓 a physics major learning about the connections between physics and computer science.

Where I'm Going

I鈥檓 going to pursue a career in either medical physics or computer science.

Brianna Olalekan is taking advantage of her time at UL 麻豆传媒app to pursue her interests in physics and computer science.

Brianna came to UL 麻豆传媒app to major in physics after discovering her love for the subject in high school. As a self-described 鈥渙verthinker,鈥 physics has given her a way to see order in the chaos.

鈥淚 wonder a lot and I need to know why something is the way it is,鈥 she said.

Being a student in the Department of Physics at UL 麻豆传媒app has given Brianna access to research, classes, and mentors that she never expected.

鈥淲ithout coming here, I wouldn鈥檛 know the things I can do with my major or can do with my knowledge,鈥 she said. 鈥淣ow, I see you can work for the government, work in brain surgery, work in engineering 鈥 everything comes together. You see where physics fits everywhere.鈥

鈥淓ven with me being indecisive, physics is so broad," she added. "And everyone wants to work with a physics major.鈥

Opportunities for Physics Majors

Brianna began to appreciate the connection between physics and computer science in her classes at UL 麻豆传媒app.

鈥淚 started to understand the engineering of it, when you鈥檙e trying to get the computer to do something,鈥 she said. 鈥淚 never thought I could do that, so learning how the circuits connect, I felt like I was actually able to do something groundbreaking.鈥

鈥淚鈥檓 happy to see everything I鈥檓 learning coming together.鈥

Outside of class, she joined the, to get more experience. It鈥檚 a student organization that builds and launches small satellites in partnership with NASA.

鈥淚 like the technology that we鈥檙e moving toward, with everything being more electronic and robotic,鈥 she said. 鈥淲hy not at least know where the future is heading?鈥

Finding a Community on Campus

Moving to 麻豆传媒app has been a refreshing change of pace for Brianna after growing up in Baton Rouge.

鈥淚 love the atmosphere here,鈥 she said. 鈥淚t鈥檚 peaceful. I just really like 麻豆传媒app and how nice people are.鈥

Though she鈥檚 away from her family, she found close friends in student organizations like the .

鈥淚t鈥檚 helped me get more connected with my culture,鈥 she said. 鈥淗aving my family is one thing, but I didn鈥檛 get to have many African friends to experience stuff with. So I鈥檝e been meeting different people on campus who come here from across the world.鈥

That welcoming vibe is also strong in the Department of Physics, which has made Brianna鈥檚 experience at UL 麻豆传媒app even better.

鈥淲hen you tell someone you鈥檙e a physics major, they鈥檙e scared and think you鈥檙e crazy and don鈥檛 really know why you鈥檇 want to do that to yourself,鈥 she said. 鈥淏ut a lot of the people and the professors are nice, they don鈥檛 mind helping, and they鈥檙e always friendly.

鈥淲e鈥檙e all nerds, but we鈥檙e nice nerds,鈥 she said. 鈥淎nd when you鈥檙e nice and inviting, it helps other people come in and learn more, too.鈥

 

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