Quinn P.
About Me
Hello! My name is Quinn, I came to Stanford OHS in my sophomore year of high school, and I'm from Boulder, Colorado. I love to explore many topics in math, philosophy, and astronomy both through research and in reading literature. I am currently working on and have published several papers in these subjects on topics such as Permutation Pattern Equivalence Relations and Standing to Blame among other topics. Further, I am passionate about humanizing math, and more generally making STEM and Philosophy more inclusive to the LGBTQIA+ and Neurodivergent communities, as a member of these communities myself. To this end, I am passionate about teaching as well; I co-founded the Exoplanet Research Workshop and founded the Virtual Math Circle through which I aim to help spread research and learning opportunities in math and astronomy, in addition to creating open and welcoming communities. Apart from academics, I enjoy playing traditional Jewish Klezmer Music, beatboxing, making sculptures from binder clips, doing puzzle hunts & crosswords, and hanging out and playing DnD with friends. In everything I do, I am constantly inspired by the people from the amazing communities I have been a part of at the Ross Math Program, Canada/USA Mathcamp, and of course Stanford OHS.
What I Love About Stanford OHS
When I applied to Stanford OHS for my sophomore year, I had just come off of a year of homeschooling (before I was in public school) which had personally been disappointing academically and socially. Coming from Boulder, Colorado, I hadn't found as many readily available academic resources as in bigger cities – so I had hoped that homeschooling and online classes would at least help me seek more academic challenges. However, even homeschooled, I still struggled to find the resources I needed to seek challenges and to find others who really enjoyed math or philosophy. When I applied to Stanford OHS I didn't expect much of an improvement in social life or academics, but I couldn't have been more wrong. Academically, Stanford OHS classes are by far the most intellectually stimulating I have seen, kindling my interest in philosophy and astronomy and providing engaging classes in many subjects. Not only did these courses lead the quality of my writing to skyrocket, but they also provided me with opportunities that lead to much of the research I have done and the organizations I help lead.
At the same time, Stanford OHS offered me the flexibility to take interesting courses at my local university as well without any issue. Socially as well, Stanford OHS clubs have helped me develop my interests (such as through Ethics Bowl or Math Research Club), but also provided amazing opportunities to get to know my peers. Through office hours and Skype, Stanford OHS also made it possible to develop close relationships with teachers -- closer than my relationships with any of my teachers from brick-and-mortar schools. Stanford OHS has provided me with more amazing opportunities than I can count on to engage in academic reading and research, and to form lifelong relationships with students and teachers. Furthermore, Stanford OHS for me has become a community where I feel welcome and can confidently call a virtual home.