Jasmine Thorpe
Jasmine Thorpe, an EOP student from Evans Mills, said she picked her major after watching one of the most popular science fiction TV shows of all time. She even dresses as her favorite character for Halloween.
“Star Trek inspired me to be a part of a positive technological innovation that will raise people’s standards of living and improve their lives,” she said. “During the pandemic, things were very bleak, but Star Trek [The Next Generation] showed me a version of what humanity could become, and it made me want to pursue technology to help us progress towards a better society.”
She’s watched almost all the related Star Trek series. “The original series is my favorite because of how beautiful the sets are, and of course, Mr. Spock,” she said.
She is pursuing an associate degree in Liberal Arts with a minor in Physics. Her favorite class is quantum mechanics. Jasmine’s favorite professor is Dr. Lawretta Ononye, who teaches Physics in the Canino School of Engineering Technology. “It was a thrill to be able to read one of Einstein’s original scientific papers,” she said. “That is something I would not have been able to have done without her support and mentorship.”
She said that the biggest thing she learned since coming to college was how to teach herself and manage her time effectively. "I recently taught myself about photonics and optics, and my education here helped me do that,” she said.
After graduating this fall with an associate degree, Jasmine will start a bachelor's program this spring at the University of Buffalo. Once she earns her bachelor’s, she plans to pursue a master’s degree.