Why did you choose Waterloo?
I have wanted to pursue a graduate degree in math since I was in middle school. I grew up in Longmont, Colorado, and attended undergrad at the nearby University of Colorado Boulder. I came to Waterloo because of the Pure Mathematics department’s reputation in operator algebras.
What does a typical day look like for you?
I wake up at 5 am each day to run. Around 7:30, I walk to campus: the walk to and from school is a perfect time to get some reading in. On campus, I take classes, and I work as a TA. It’s a decent amount of work, but I’ve also had plenty of time to do research as well.
I return home around 5 pm, do schoolwork or research until around 9 pm, then I head to the climbing gym. Occasionally I manage to get to bed before 11 pm.
What do you do for fun?
I am an avid mountain climber, although unfortunately they are a bit hard to come by in this part of Ontario. My long-term goal is to climb the 100 highest peaks in Colorado. Thus far, I’ve climbed 70, including all 53 “Fourteeners,” or peaks over 14,000 ft. Last summer, I climbed every Fourteener as a final farewell to my home state.