Ojo Akinwale

My story

I acquired an interest in space in high school and would watch videos about many interesting topics in astronomy. When I worked at NASA, I got to talk with astrophysicists about their career and it convinced me to choose this as my major. Quantum optics is my favorite field in optics and brings it to an advanced level of application in quantum technology. I want to enter the industry as an optical scientist/engineer and get a master’s or Ph.D. in optics.

In the summer of 2022, I worked at Caltech as a LIGO intern with the experimental physics group on mitigating thermal losses in gravitational wave detectors.

Pursuing a degree in astronomy has been a lifelong dream, but it requires financial resources to realize. This scholarship provides me with the financial relief I need to focus on my studies and put my 100% into doing my best without worrying about working to earn living expenses.