Campus Celebrity: Ravn Jenkins, ’19

Name:  

Ravn Jenkins

Year:

Junior

Hometown:

Brunswick, Maine

Major(s):

Physics Major, Math Minor  

Activities on Campus:

Society of Physics Students (President)

Astronomy Club (Co-President)

William and Mary Women’s Chorus

Table-top Role Playing Games Club (Court Minstrel)

Describe Yourself in Three Words:

Adventurous, caring, passionate

Go-To Starbucks Order:

Strawberry Frappuccino

Favorite Book:

The Signature of Small Things

Favorite Movie:

Arrival

Hobbies:

I love playing Dungeons and Dragons and other table-top role playing games.  I also make terrariums, and I’m learning to knit!

Career Goals:

Physics/Astronomy Professor.

What is one thing on your bucket list?

Start a YouTube channel about physics, possibly working through a new textbook or subject  every year. I would also have videos about how to be successful in college (I have many thoughts about this!).

Also, build myself the perfect desk.

What is one thing people would be surprised to learn about you?

I went to a boarding school!

Best dog you’ve seen in Williamsburg?

Momo the Samoyed.

What’s your favorite thing about being part of the Physics Department?

Definitely the community! Due to the department’s size, there are many chances for undergraduates to participate in amazing research and develop relationships with professors and graduate students. It’s a tough major, but the students are incredibly close and we support each through it all. As the president of the Society of Physics Students, I love working to promote a welcoming environment within the department. Also, we offer free tutoring!

The department will be one of the sites for the 2019 Conference for Undergraduate Women in Physics, and I’m so excited to be a part of planning the event!

Describe your perfect day in Williamsburg:

Wake up early and refreshed, spend a pleasant morning working in Swem (possibly indulge in a mocha smoothie), finish my work in a timely manner, then take a walk into Colonial Williamsburg. That night I’d have some dinner with friends, play some board games, have a long emotionally fulfilling conversation with my roommates, and read before bed.

Favorite Restaurant in the ‘Burg:

The Dog Street Pub is a great restaurant, but the best meals in Williamsburg happen to be made by Alec Sharkey, my good friend and future top chef.

Your favorite memory from your time here:

Freshman year I went to a Nerf Club meeting on a Saturday night. We were playing a zombie-game: humans had to escape the zombies by hiding and shooting them with foam bullets. I hid under a piano. I was the only survivor.

What is your favorite thing about William and Mary?

I’m so grateful for the friends I’ve made here, whether they’re physics study-buddies, my nerdy DnD friends, or my amazing roommates. They keep me grounded, keep me driven, remind me to be kind to myself, and above all have helped me relax into who I am now.

If you were President of the College for a day, what would you do?

A common critique I’ve heard from my peers is that the campus isn’t accessible for people who are mobility impaired. Although there is merit in preserving the aesthetics of campus, as President for the day I would pave some key walkways around campus as well as add more handicap parking spaces.

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