This is Salar's first time at Explo and his first time in the United States. Although it's only been two days, he already feels like this is his second home.
Is this your first time at Explo?
Yes, it is. I found out about it from some counselors back home. They recommended it to boost my academic profile, because if you get into a summer program with a scholarship before applying to college, it really helps. So I applied here and got the scholarship, and now here I am.
Congratulations! We’re glad you’re here. Do you have any thoughts about higher education?
It might be wishful thinking right now, but I’m looking at the Ivy Leagues, which are everyone’s dream. So I’m looking at Harvard University, but Stanford is my favorite, even though it’s not in the Ivies. It’s my favorite because I love math.
I have a good friend that goes there who really loves it.
He goes there now? I’ve got to meet him.
We’ll set it up. What are you looking to study or go into for a career?
I really want to study math — I love everything about the subject. If I don’t do that, IT is the second option. People usually say that there aren’t any practical implementations of math, but math is actually everywhere, and in everything you do. Like, if you’re making games, you need programming and you need calculus for that. So, yeah, math is everywhere and I love it.
That's great. What courses are you taking?
Professional Mathematics and Cryptography. In Cryptography, we started actually decrypting codes today. The instructor gave us a jumble of symbols and made a key for us to use and we had to figure out what the message was. And after we figured out what the message was, we had to draw it. Mine was a Roman senator, so my group and I drew the Roman senator with his toga. And he was yelling to his guard, “Go get something done!” And the guard was like, “Ok.” The instructor, Mark, is really cool. He’s awesome.
What workshops are you taking?
Mathematics of Beauty and Interview Skills, which doesn’t start for another week or so. Mathematics of Beauty has been pretty awesome so far. We went to the Yale Art Gallery right on campus, and I sort of got lost there for a bit, but I eventually found them. But I still got to see all the art work — it was an adventure.
How are the staff in general?
The staff are really amazing. I mean, they’re like family here. My mom calls me every day and asks if I miss everyone back home and I’m like, "No." [Laughs]
What are your hobbies?
I play Xbox. My favorite games are FIFA and Call of Duty.
What else besides video games?
I’ve started watching a lot of movies recently. I’m really nocturnal. That’s probably why I didn’t get jet-lagged coming here. Because it’s a nine-hour difference from back home, so it’s normal for me.
What’s your favorite movie?
Inception is up there for my favorite movie. There’s also this science fiction one called Knowing which I really liked. It was awesome.
How has your experience at Explo at Yale been so far?
It’s been pretty awesome. Everyone is great here — really welcoming. In the courses, you don’t get a lot of homework or busy work, but you still learn a lot.
How has meeting people been here?
Meeting new people is awesome. I never thought it would feel this great. Our living group has people from five or six different countries and we’re always sharing what it’s like back home, which is really cool.
How would describe Explo to someone who’s never been here?
To someone who’s never been here? You could call this place your second home — but more awesome. You’ll have a lot of fun here. It’s been two days since the start of the session, and I feel like it’s been two months. Not in a bad way of course. It’s been really great.
Lucas Penzeymoog