Prize Recipient

Chris Quintana

Background:

My name is Chris Quintana, and I just graduated from Nyack High School in Nyack, New York. I love music and play the piano and saxophone. I am also enamored with physics, mathematics, and philosophy. My interest in physics began when I read a book by Stephen Hawking at a young age. After looking through that book, I came away not with new knowledge, but with nebulous ideas, frustrating questions, and an overwhelming sense of ignorance. I continue living today with a strong curiosity about our universe and its many mysteries. I still feel like the young child I was, pondering about deep questions and, as new questions arise, often seemingly drifting further away from the answers. This feeling is what drives my passion for the truth and for physics. I plan to major in physics at Princeton University, and after that, I plan to attend graduate school and earn a PhD. I am very grateful for this generous scholarship from the American Physical Society.