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PHOTO: Michael Carrion, center, toured SNO Lab, a physics laboratory that specializes in researching dark matter and neutrinos, while chairing the international conference “Cosmology between Deleuze and Science” in Sudbury, Canada.

Michael Carrion '24, a dual math and philosophy major, says ����ԭ��’s collaborative attitude is one unique to the school. He's not surprised it’s so highly ranked in social mobility as it’s obviously dedicated to student success.

As a head peer tutor on campus, Carrion is part of that collaborative culture. The Honors Program student also exalts praise for ����ԭ��’s efforts to make a positive impact not only on its students but on the surrounding community.

To that end, the commuting Birdsboro resident is a GED math tutor at the Mother Veronica Resource Center, helping those in the underserved area of Reading to accomplish their goals of continuing education beyond high school, as Reading High School boasts a drop-out rate of nearly twice the national average.

Upon enrolling at ����ԭ��, Carrion always saw himself as a math major, enjoying the notion that “if we have a problem, we should have an answer.” He enjoys that the curriculum is content-heavy but curriculum-light, which allowed him to pick up a second major in philosophy, a path he never saw for himself before taking an intro course in the subject.

“I used to see philosophy as wishy-washy,” he says. “And I struggled in my intro class. It is very different, and in fact, the opposite of, math. It was alien to me, but by the end of that class, I’d say it changed my worldview.”

Carrion still sees math as his career path, likely attending school for his Ph.D. and possibly working in national cybersecurity on newer forms of encryption after the invention of the quantum computer. He counts his opportunities at ����ԭ�� — including the Research Experience for Undergraduates (REU) funded by the National Science Foundation, conducting research in computational methods of discrete mathematics — as valuable experience gained along the way.

Carrion also chaired an international conference titled “Cosmology between Deleuze and Science” in Sudbury, Canada. This conference included a tour of SNO Lab, a physics laboratory that specializes in researching dark matter and neutrinos.

For students looking to enroll at ����ԭ��, Carrion stresses the importance of getting involved.

“It’s actually hard to not get involved,” he explained. “Any time you are given an opportunity, just say ‘yes.’ Then you’re enabling your experience to be a good one.”