Tomas Virgen will be graduating this spring with a bachelor's in mathematical physics. Born to a 1st-generation immigrant family, he had always been cognizant of the importance of higher education, and thus he had always tried to get the most out of his college experience.During his time at UC Merced, Tomas had been an active member within the athletics department. Not only was he a member of the UC Merced Cross Country team, but he also worked as a student-athlete learning assistant. His competitive nature as an athlete carried over into the classroom and into his research. Tomas has conducted research in both applied mathematics and astrophysics, and he has had the opportunity to present this work at various conferences such as SACNAS and SIAM. His academic success has allowed him to graduate with high honors. Alongside his passion for learning, Tomas has also been deeply invested in educating the next generation of STEM. He has worked as an instructor for the 2019 Bobcat Summer STEM Academy, in which hetaught basic physics to Central Valley middle school students, and as a mentor for TRIO Upward Bound, a federal education program aimed at low-income 1st-generation high school students. Upon graduation from UC Merced, Tomas plans on pursuing a PhD in physics.
