Quentin Karpillow '12 knows a lot about connections.
At the Brookings Institute, he finds connections among complex economic data. Then he uses his exceptional writing and presentation skills to help his mentors and peers connect with his findings. And it all connects back to his time at Kenyon.
Something happens when you study science in a liberal arts context. You see the connections between literature and philosophy and math and physics. It’s precisely what drew Quentin from the humanities into the sciences.
“One of the reasons I chose Kenyon is because of its great writing program,” he said. ” I thought I was going to be a Spanish literature–English double major.” That began to change his sophomore year when he started taking an introductory science course—and he made an instant connection with his math professors.
“I loved how excited they got, and how available they were during office hours, and how they could take abstract and sometimes seemingly tedious math problems and make them really exciting. Their enthusiasm was infectious. They kind of sucked you in. You can’t help but grin when your professor is clearly that enthusiastic about the material on the board.”
He also deepened connections with his peers. “You start getting up into the upper-level math classes, and your class size decreases to about seven or eight. And after three take-home tests and five study sessions and two projects, you guys are close knit.”
It was ultimately Quentin’s economics advisor, Kathy Krynski, who helped connect him with the research assistantship he has now. He’s putting his passion to work at the Brookings Institute’s Center on Children and Families, gaining a better understanding of how government policy impacts middle-class families.
And being able to trace his success all the way back to Kenyon: that’s the most significant connection of all.