Jarlem Lopez Morel
What was the most rewarding experience you had as a Wake Forest student?
Getting to do research with Dr. Oana Jurchescu, one of my Physics professors, in addition to the research I got to do during the last summer at the National Institute of Standards and Technology. These were the two main things that made me ultimately decide to go for grad school!
Wake Forest has lots of traditions, and sometimes students create their own. Do you have a favorite Wake Forest tradition?
I don’t know if I would consider this a tradition, but the abundance of free food at activities throughout the week is always a plus.
What was your favorite class outside your major or minor areas of study and why did it appeal to you?
I have taken a couple Philosophy classes; they are very fun. It is always interesting to have a class that goes so far back onto the very basics of a formal education, as Philosophy ultimately served as the predecessor of all other areas of study.
Wake Forest’s Pro Humanitate motto is a guiding philosophy for many students and alumni. Did it have an impact on your student experience and has it influenced your plans for the future?
I believe it has. Besides doing my graduate work in Physics, my plans include being involved in education in one way or another, whether it be in academia as a researcher and professor, or a teacher of some other kind. My love for physics comes mainly from the fact I like to share it with people. Physics is very very cool, and I want to let people know of it!
What song or songs will always remind you of your time at Wake Forest? Why?
Most songs I could think about would be from my study abroad semester in Chile, as I listened to some great music there. My top two songs would probably be “Deja la Vida Volar” by Victor Jara, and “Sí Po’ ” by Diego Lorenzini.
What is the most fundamental change you’ve experienced since your time as a first-year student?
I am comfortable with not knowing things. Through the last four years here at Wake, mainly in the Physics department (as that is my major,) I have gained much more comfort with not understanding something from the get go. When I came in as a first-year student, I was very anxious and had unreasonable expectations of how much I should know about something before I even took a class on it. It took me some time to pause and tell myself: “Hey! You’re here to learn the stuff you *don’t* know!”