Rachel Lin
Who most impacted your Wake Forest experience?
Our wonderful people in the math department! My first mentor, Dr. Jeremy Rouse, introduced me to the landscape of pure math that I had completely no idea about, and my thesis advisor, Dr. Ellen Kirkman, guided me through the process of completing my senior thesis and applying to grad schools. Almost everyone in the math department has supported me in some way throughout my journey at Wake and I am deeply grateful for that.
What was the most rewarding experience you had as a Wake Forest student?
Wake has given me many opportunities to do research and present results in academic settings. I had two research experiences with math professors at Wake and presented at Undergrad Research Day twice. With Wake’s travel fund, I was able to attend several other conferences and workshops to present my research and connect with people in my field. This really helped me gain confidence and broaden my academic horizon.
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Compare your career plans as a first-year student with your career plans now. Why did your plans change or not change?
I am attending a Ph.D. program in pure math! Before college, I had no idea what pure math was about or what modern mathematicians were doing. As a first-year student, I was thinking about majoring in Statistics or Philosophy since I had been exposed to both areas before. Wake has provided me with many opportunities to explore different areas, so I was able to change my major and minor several times and finally find my passion in math.