LUCAS DE VENECIA

Cornell University

Physics is my primary interest and Statistical Science, my secondary. I will not have to choose a major until my sophomore year, but should my interests change over this school year, I may transfer to the College of Engineering. All I’m certain of right now is that I’m passionate about Stem.

How was your high school life?

Challenging in and out of the classroom. Though I wouldn’t have had it any other way. I always savoured that rewarding feeling of exhaustion at the end of each day. Also, it was through the challenges I faced that I learnt enough about myself to move forward with strength.

How was high school during a pandemic?

Initially, it was quite amusing, but only because I assumed Zoom school would be a short and sweet affair. The amusement dissipated when distance learning carried over to senior year and the work began piling on. While my passion for my studies remained, the extreme amount of screen time gradually drained my mental and physical stamina. Towards the end of the school year, I was running on fumes, to say the least. However, I never stopped pushing my limits.

While there weren’t many positives, I’m actually glad to have gone through the online school experience. I wouldn’t trade it for the world. It removed many distractions that used to allow me to run away from myself. Additionally, the bitterness of it all accentuated the sweetness of many other (more important) things in life. When you strip away all the hands-on experiences, classroom interactions, extracurriculars and weekend hangouts, you’re really forced to face yourself, your truths and what you value.

What are you most excited for?

I’m most excited about working with Cornell’s energy recovery linear accelerator. I participated in the CERN Beamline competition with my classmates, so I’m eager to continue my passion for particle physics. The competition entailed designing and proposing an experiment for the Desy particle accelerator in Hamburg (Cern’s Large Hadron Collider is currently shut down for maintenance and upgrades). We were among the 23 shortlisted out of 200 entries.

Where do you see yourself in five years?

Working in a science-related field for the good of humanity or doing rhythm guitar and vocals for a Japanese post-hardcore band.