Peer Academic Coaching for Physics

Natasha Wozniak '25 - PAC Captain

Major: Chemistry   

About me: I am from Seattle, WA, and love hiking, rock climbing, and just being outside! 

Why PAC: I loved going to PAC for my physics classes last year. It is a great space to collaborate with peers, and I want to help create that space for other students!

Favorite class and why: PY 207! It was the first physics class I had ever taken, and I loved solving hard problems that seemed impossible at first. I learned to just try problems that I had no idea how to solve, and there were so many rewarding lightbulb moments along the way!

Academic Advice: Work with other people! You start looking forward to doing your schoolwork instead of dreading it. Working with others also helps me learn the material faster and more thoroughly. 

Addison Collins '27

Major: Physics  

About me: I was born in California and lived there up until 16 when I move to Japan. While there I fell in love with the language so when in my free time, I study copious amounts of Japanese. When I'm not in the classroom or studying Japanese I am usually found socializing as I love to meet new people!

Why Pac?: I used to never go to Pac, but the more I came the more I wanted to go. I love the atmosphere and how lively it is. I also love teacher others when I learn in class or helping my classmates with things we don't understand.

Favorite class: Physics 1 because it "clicked" so fast and was very fun to learn all of the basics of motion.

Academic Advice: I would highly recommend completely focusing on whatever you're doing, no distractions at all. Whether it is doing physics problems or writing an essay, you'll find great success in a small amount of time if you focus completely on what you're doing.

Diego Da Motta '25

Majors: Physics and Math       

About me: I’m from Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Currently I’m really into working out and rock climbing, if I'm not doing that or studying, I’m probably cooking or playing video games. 

Why PAC?: I love explaining physics and teaching others really helps me reinforce the material I’ve learned in class, so being a PAC fits right in. 

Favorite Class and Why?: My favorite class so far has been Optics. Light is all around us, all the time, and understanding how it works at least a little bit made me able to look at the things around me through a new “lens.” Being able to explain why I see things the way I see them is really cool and I can only do it because of that class. 

Academic Advice: Do your homework! Applying the lessons you learn in class through problems is crucial to understanding physics. Sometimes I won’t understand what happened in class until I sit down and figure out how to solve the homework problems. 

Beilynn Geiss '26

Major: Physics   Minors: Math and German    

About Me: Hi, I’m Beilynn (she/her)! I am from Loveland, CO (by Fort Collins), and I am on the tennis team for Skidmore. I am a sophomore this year. I loved going to PAC last semester to get help or just hang out! The skid physics department is so welcoming, and I want to add to that!     

Favorite Class and Why?: I’ve only had a year here at Skidmore, but my favorite class I have taken so far is German 102. I decided to take German last year for fun, and I am loving it! Now, I want to minor in German!

Academic Advice: Communication is key! Building a relationship with your classmates and professors makes all the difference. It’s easy to feel on your own academically, but one of Skidmore’s strengths is community. Especially in physics, the professors are invested in your success and learning. So, go to their office hours! Go to PAC and study with your classmates!

Meiirzhan Karataikyzy '27

Jonathan Kasper '26

Major: Physics    Minor: Spanish 

About me: I'm from Lincoln, Massachusetts. My hobbies include astronomy, baking, hanging out with friends, and working with computers.

Why PAC? Physics PAC has been an amazing resource and helped me understand physics. I am super excited to be able to provide that experience to other students and be part of the physics community!

Favorite Class and Why? My favorite class so far at Skidmore has been Thermal Physics (PY211) because of the style of the material. For me, it's very rewarding to do a long calculation with multiple formulas and get an answer that makes sense for the problem. It was challenging at first, but once I got the hang of things the class was very fun.

Academic Advice: I like to keep a schedule of all my assignments and their due dates every week. This system has helped me to be organized and keep track of anything I need to get done. Having a list of due dates or reminders is super helpful!

Jessica Nachamie '25 

About me: I'm from Long Island, NY and am on the softball team.  I like to travel and hang with friends.

Why PAC? I love helping people with new material and how to study, and I love Physics.  PAC is a great way to combine the two.

Favorite class and why: My favorite class so far has been PY 207!  It was the first Physics class I took here at Skidmore and it gave me a great foundation for the following courses.  I loved the freedom we had with problem solving and the course allowed for a lot of collaboration and discussion with the students around me in class.

Academic Advice: As long as you study hard and put in the effort, you will do amazing in any class you take here!  Don't be afraid to reach out to peers or professors for help, especially since it helps both you and a classmate understand the material and helps you form a good relationship with your professor.

Emmy Plage '25

Major: Physics Minor: Mathematics      

About Me: I am from Bedford, New Hampshire, and play on the women's basketball team here at Skidmore. Outside of school, I love listening to music, going on walks, and hanging out with friends and family. 

Why PAC?: Physics PAC has been an excellent resource for me throughout my years at Skidmore. I am excited to have the opportunity to provide the same experience I had with PAC. 

Favorite Class: For me, Optics (PY212) was my favorite physics class that I have taken at Skidmore. Learning about how light operates in reflections, refractions, waves, through lenses, and the anatomy of our eye was really cool! I love learning the science behind everyday phenomena. 

Academic Advice: Get yourself organized at the beginning of the semester and keep a planner. I have found that going through all of my syllabi and writing down important dates (finals, tests, quizzes, and nightly homeworks if they are provided) for the semester helps me get a feel for my semester workload and stay on top of my assignments. 

Eli Rothstein '27

Major: Physics 

About Me: I’m from Westchester, New York, and I enjoy rock climbing, hanging out with my friends, and playing board games. I’m a sophomore this year at Skidmore and I’m on the eBoard for Skid Spricht Deutsch and the new Physics Club.

Why PAC?: Going to physics PAC last year was incredibly helpful, whether I was having trouble with specific homework questions or needed help understanding a concept. PAC was also a fun place to do homework with my peers even if I didn’t anticipate needing help. I’m looking forward to being a PAC this year and helping new physics students in the same way that I was helped.

Favorite Class: My favorite class was PY 130. As the first physics class I had ever taken, it allowed me to quickly find my passion for the subject.

Academic Advice: I would advise striving to understand a topic to the extent that you would feel confident explaining it to someone else, rather than just grasping it enough to get an assignment done. This helps to ensure that your own understanding is solid and will last so that it can continue to be built upon.

Francie Wharton '25

Major: Physics   Minors: Dance and Honors Forum     

About me: I'm Francie (she/her)! I'm from Evanston, Illinois, which is just 10 minutes north of Chicago. At Skidmore, I am a tour guide, an RA, and a writer for communications. I'm also the publicist for the Random Acts of Crafts club and a community organizer.

Why PAC?: PAC was my first introduction to the wonderful physics community at Skidmore, and they helped me see that I could be successful in the major. I am excited to pay that forward and help people discover their love for physics!

Favorite Class and Why?: I really loved Foundations of Modern Physics (PY 210). It is the first time in the major you see more advanced physics topics and often the first time you are in a class with just physics majors and minors. I love the community that comes out of working together to finish a problem set and learning how to explain what you know to help others. It was a challenge, but a very rewarding challenge!

Academic Advice: Go to office hours! Especially at Skidmore, the professors want to help you! Never feel like your question is too dumb or too silly. I promise you someone else is thinking the same thing!

Owen Young '27

Major: Physics, (Math???) 

About me: I'm Owen and I'm from Queensbury, NY. I play tennis, play and listen to music, and rock climb. 

Why PAC?: Last year I was a tutor for Calculus 1 and found that I really enjoyed helping others and I also really liked going to PAC. I figured that being a PAC was a great mix of the two!

Favorite Class: My freshman seminar, A Cost Benefit Analysis of the Seven Deadly Sins is my favorite class I've taken. It was a really neat course and got me interested in something that I never would've seen myself ever thinking about. I enjoy reading the texts from the authors we talked about in that class, and I may possibly minor in religion now.

Academic Advice: Your professors are there to help you! They all want to see you succeed and as long as you show them that you are willing to put in the work to succeed, they will help you. Go to office hours, email them, and ask them questions!