Major: Mathematics, Pure Mathematics option
Minor: Computer Science
Associate Degree: Information Sciences and Technology (Penn State DuBois)
Hometown: Karthaus, Pennsylvania
Scholarships: Penn State Provost Award; Evelyn W. Cronister Memorial Scholarship
On choosing Behrend: When I saw that Behrend was the only campus with a Software Engineering program, I had to join in on the fun! I later realized my passion was in Mathematics, but the uniqueness of the Software Engineering program is what brought me to Behrend.
On choosing his major: I’m always asking “why,” and mathematics unabashedly answers that question for me. It allows one to make educated conclusions, prove properties, and appreciate the complexity of the beauty around us. I find joy in learning how computers utilize mathematics to solve problems that a programmer or an engineer might face in their daily work.
Campus involvement: Gender and Sexual Equality Club – Multi-Cultural Council Representative; Math Club – Vice-President, President; Council of Commonwealth Student Governments – Information Technology Coordinator; 2023 Fall Concert Committee – Logistics Chair; Alternative Spring Break 2024
What makes him unique: I have a book filled with daily sayings authored by me. My favorite is,” Anyone could have chosen my path. The beauty is they didn’t.”
What you might be surprised to know about him: I was raised on a farm.
Words to live by: “Do not fear death, but rather the unlived life. You don’t have to live forever. You just have to live.” ―Natalie Babbitt
His highest priority for the coming years: Attaining a Ph.D. and paying down my student loans.
His passion: My biggest passion, outside of mathematics, is education. Every human being has the right to an unbiased education in pursuit of enlightenment or upward economic mobility. I despise those who fear knowledge but favor ad hominem arguments against the very literature that develops an open-mindset, critical thinking, and a healthy curiosity.
Advice for first-year students: Test the assumptions you’ve made about the world, its systems, and its people. I assure you that at some point, you will struggle with one of those assumptions and mature as a person.
After his graduation in December, Nathan plans to specialize in computational mathematics research at a university, industry stakeholder, or, in his words, “wherever the wind takes me.”