I want to understand how life starts and basically what are the capabilities and possibilities of life. And in physics, I want to study cosmology and understand how the universe works. The end goal is for me to get as much knowledge as I can and help people with it.”
Dhareen Jean-Michel, ’28, had been an honors student in high school and came to ɫƵ to major in both physics and biology.
Yet when he had the chance to join the university’s Honors Program, he demurred. The Avon resident and first-year student felt that doing so would set him apart, and not necessarily in a good way.
“Initially, I wasn’t planning on joining just based on my past experience with honors,” he said. “Other students see you differently. I was hoping to be just a regular student. I often complain that the school systems in Massachusetts are really good and really good at separating kids.”
There were also the attendant pressure high school honors can bring, he added. “It’s good to be in a small community, but you were always facing higher standards and not given any time to breathe.”
Dhareen has always been a quick learner, he said. “Depending on the teacher, I can pick up material quickly, but I lose focus if the class is too slow.” High school also found him taking several advanced placement courses.
In physics, he plans to concentrate in astrophysics; in biology, he hopes to study the human body at the cellular and molecular level. Now that he’s spent more than half of a semester at ɫƵ, has the idea of joining honors become more appealing?
“What made me change my mind was talking to Jen MacCallum in the Honors Program. She’s the one who convinced me to take honors classes. Previously I expressed my concerns with her. But she eased my concerns and told me it’s not as elitist as in high school, and it’s the same amount of classwork, except you’re given a project at the end of the class. To me, that didn’t sound too bad.”
To be sure, Dhareen audited some honors classes. Next semester, he’ll take his first honors course at ɫƵ, Calculus II.
It’s no surprise that this young man has big plans. “I’ve put a lot of thought into it,” he said.
His to-do list includes graduate school and dual PhDs in physics and biology. It seems he has some questions. Big ones.
“I want to understand how life starts and basically what are the capabilities and possibilities of life,” Dhareen said. “And in physics, I want to study cosmology and understand how the universe works. The end goal is for me to get as much knowledge as I can and help people with it.”
Capping his sky-high plans? Going to Mars.