{"id":2086,"date":"2017-09-11T14:23:21","date_gmt":"2017-09-11T14:23:21","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/careerplanning.me.holycross.edu\/?p=2086"},"modified":"2017-09-11T14:23:21","modified_gmt":"2017-09-11T14:23:21","slug":"alumni-interview-i-was-a-double-major-in-mathematics-and-physics-now-i","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.holycross.edu\/careerplanning\/2017\/09\/11\/alumni-interview-i-was-a-double-major-in-mathematics-and-physics-now-i\/","title":{"rendered":"ALUMNI INTERVIEW: I was a double major in mathematics and physics, now I…"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"Meet\u00a0Alison<\/span>\u00a0Cheung ’06, Engineer\u00a0at MIT Lincoln Laboratory.<\/h2>\n

In one sentence, what does your job entail?<\/h3>\n

I work sensors such as a large optical telescope to monitor the space environment and enable the nation to meet the challenges of an increasingly congested and contested space domain.<\/p>\n

What planned and unplanned events connected you to your industry and your first employer after Holy Cross? How did you learn\/decide it was a good fit for you?<\/h3>\n

During my sophomore year at Holy Cross, I was informed of an opportunity via email from the physics department to get funding through the Massachusetts Space Grant Consortium for a summer internship at NASA\u2019s Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL).\u00a0 I had been looking at various internship opportunities from the financial industry to the department of defense, but had not previously thought about NASA or the space industry.\u00a0 After submitting a resume and talking to a mentor at JPL, I jumped on this opportunity.<\/strong>\u00a0 I worked hard that summer, had frequent conversations with my mentor, and fell in love with the work environment and the space missions.\u00a0 This resulted in me returning for a total of three summers under the same mentors but with exposure to various mission areas.\u00a0 Knowing that a graduate degree is incredibly valuable in this type of environment, I attended graduate school but kept in contact with my JPL mentors.\u00a0 After completing my master\u2019s degree, I chose to return to JPL as full-time staff.<\/p>\n

What were you involved in when you were on campus?<\/h3>\n

On campus I was involved in the marching band\/pep band, Holy Cross Chamber Orchestra, Society of Physics Students, Science Student Ambassadors, SPUD, and admissions office host for prospective students.<\/p>\n

What was your major and how did it affect your career decisions?<\/h3>\n

I was a double major in mathematics<\/strong> and physics<\/strong>.\u00a0 I always had a hard time picking a favorite between these majors and struggled to decide which area to go to graduate school in.\u00a0 Ultimately, I looked for ways to keep a balance of both fields and have continued to do so.<\/p>\n

What are one or two skills that you developed at Holy Cross that you use in your work?<\/h3>\n
My first exposure to MATLAB<\/strong> was at Holy Cross during my senior year and have continued to use MATLAB on a regular basis since then.\u00a0 Additionally, Holy Cross helped me develop my communication<\/strong> and interpersonal skills<\/strong> that often set me apart from others in my field.<\/div>\n

What advice do you have for students on campus today?<\/h3>\n

My largest piece of advice for students on campus today is to seize any opportunity that comes your way<\/strong> and work hard to make a positive impression<\/strong>.\u00a0 This could mean being the first to submit a resume or respond to an email.\u00a0 Don\u2019t worry about how the opportunity came about and don\u2019t doubt your qualifications.\u00a0 Imposter syndrome is a real thing.\u00a0 Instead of thinking about why you were given an opportunity, put your energy into making the most of that opportunity so that it leads to further opportunities.\u00a0 When gaps in your knowledge arise, ask good questions and continuously improve.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Meet\u00a0Alison\u00a0Cheung ’06, Engineer\u00a0at MIT Lincoln Laboratory. In one sentence, what does your job entail? I work sensors such as a large optical telescope to monitor the space environment and enable the nation to meet the challenges of an increasingly congested and contested space domain. What planned and unplanned events connected you to your industry and … <\/p>\n

Continue reading “ALUMNI INTERVIEW: I was a double major in mathematics and physics, now I…”<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[13,15,49,193,213],"class_list":["post-2086","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized","tag-alumni","tag-alumni-guest-post","tag-career-community-tech","tag-mathematics","tag-physics"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.holycross.edu\/careerplanning\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2086","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.holycross.edu\/careerplanning\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.holycross.edu\/careerplanning\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.holycross.edu\/careerplanning\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.holycross.edu\/careerplanning\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2086"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.holycross.edu\/careerplanning\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2086\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.holycross.edu\/careerplanning\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2086"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.holycross.edu\/careerplanning\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2086"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.holycross.edu\/careerplanning\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2086"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}