Physics work paves way for Hartnell students: Earn $25K scholarships for program

Nov 03, 2009 (The Monterey County Herald - McClatchy-Tribune Information Services via COMTEX) -- LMSAF | Quote | Chart | News | PowerRating -- As tutors with the Mathematics, Engineering, Science Achievement program at Hartnell College, Juan Ledesma and Thomas Brown practically eat and breathe science.

It's at this tutoring program that they work, study, take breaks, eat their lunch, and even where their friendly rivalry plays up.

"Everyone wants to be smart," said Ledesma, 21.

"It's friendly competition between everyone," said Brown, 20. "Everyone wants to help everyone."

Brown and Ledesma credit the playful rivalry and encouragement they've found among their peers at Hartnell with helping them focus in school. Ultimately, their focus and hard work have earned them each a $25,000 scholarship to enroll in the physics program at the University of California-Santa Cruz.

Funded through the National Science Foundation program for Science, Technology and Math, the scholarship is geared toward community college students from Hartnell, Cabrillo, De Anza and Foothill colleges. Students majoring in physics or astrophysics planning on transferring as juniors to UC-Santa Cruz's physics programs were eligible to apply, and two of the four scholarships available were nabbed by the Hartnell students.

Andy Newton, planetarium and development director, credits the college's strong emphasis on math and science for the success of many of its students.

"Our goal is to make us better known as a magnet for science," Newton said. Students "get a stronger foundation in (science, technology and math) disciplines

than they would if they went to a four-year school. They would not get this type of research experience until they went to grad school."

A member of the Hartnell Society of Physics Students and the Students Interested in Medicine Association club, Brown has always liked science in general, but his interest in physics increased with his classes at Hartnell.

"Science itself helps you explain how things work," Brown said.

When he was 15, Brown was diagnosed with juvenile diabetes, an experience that pushed him to change his lifestyle and eating habits, and sparked his interest in medicine. He received a summer internship with UCLA, a six-week intensive course designed to give students insight into health care issues in underserved communities. Brown plans to study endocrinology with an emphasis on pediatrics.

After a lifetime of dealing with strict parental rules, Ledesma got his first taste of freedom at Hartnell-- which wasn't necessarily a good thing for his grades. Then, his mother was injured at work, so he took a job to help with the family finances. But a minimum-wage job -- one that doesn't pay well enough to cover rent -- didn't offer a promising future. So Ledesma returned to Hartnell with more resolve than ever.

"I went from a 1.7 GPA to a 3.0 in two semesters," he said. "And the classes that I was taking at first were the easy ones, the general ed. Then, I started taking the more difficult ones, but I was able to keep up because I was motivated."

It was all in the friendly rivalry, he said.

Ledesma completed a seven-week summer research internship program at the Naval Postgraduate School's Remote Sensing Laboratory, where he used Light Detection and Ranging technology that measures properties of light to measure distance, speed and other data. The use of this technology is relatively new for commercial and military applications, and will eventually be used for more battlefield applications.

Although Ledesma is on his way to UCSC, he's still not sure what life path he'll eventually take.

"I may go into civil engineering or medical school. The good thing about applied physics is that I can keep my options open," Ledesma said.

But no matter how hard the road gets, both students said they're not going to give up school, especially after receiving this financial boost.

"Education is way more valuable than a job," Brown said. "With education, you can get better jobs."

Claudia Melendez Salinas can be reached at 753-6755 or cmelendez@montereyherald.com.

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