COSMOS Student Profiles
COSMOS is a month-long residential program for California high school students who demonstrate high achievement in science and mathematics and are motivated to explore complex topics in depth. Participants attend classes and live in the residence halls at one of four UC campuses--Davis, Irvine, San Diego or Santa Cruz-- and have the opportunity to engage in social activities during the evening and field trips on weekends. Special events are designed to enhance students' personal, social and academic growth. Each COSMOS site offers different theme-based course clusters that reflect the unique resources and specialties of the campus.
JESSIE HOLLAND
San Mateo High School,
San Mateo, San Mateo County
(Stanford University Sophomore, 2006-07)
UC Davis COSMOS 2004
Participated in the Mathematics Course Cluster
I was a junior in high school when I discovered COSMOS. The program was attractive because it promised to be intellectually stimulating-somewhere for people "like me." I was a student whose intense curiosity about the world had outgrown my public high school courses. Always eager to provide opportunities for their students, my high school teachers encouraged me to apply.
So, in July I found myself studying knot theory, combinatorics, topology, and more at the UC Davis COSMOS site. The COSMOS atmosphere was challenging, but intellectually invigorating. By day, I was learning about the world of hyperbolic space and tackling tough math problems. By night, I was swapping "brain teasers" with my new friends and chatting over ice cream in the dining halls. Like "real" STEM field professionals, we were collaborating to solve problems and forming a network. For me, COSMOS has extended well beyond the four weeks at Davis. The friendships I made at COSMOS continue to be strong to this day. Since many of my peers were younger, I've helped these friends navigate college applications. This network was extended this summer when I interned with COSMOS at the UC Office of the President headquarters of the program. Through this internship, I compiled a database of over 500 internships in the STEM fields for other COSMOS alumni.
Finally, COSMOS has followed me to college. In addition to providing a generous scholarship, COSMOS has equipped me with the confidence and problem-solving skills I need to pursue an engineering degree at Stanford.