Selina Yang ’21: Stargazer

The views around Inyo National Forest near Mammoth Lakes are breathtaking — but for Selina Yang ‘20, they were transformative.

“There was no light pollution,” she says of her first Field Studies experience. “We were looking at the night sky for the first time.” Over the next few days, Selina studied star charts, learned about constellations, and made new friends while embracing astronomy as one of several potential Sequoyah hobbies. When Selina gazes to the heavens today, however, she does it with the practiced eye of a PhD candidate in astrophysics at Cornell University.

Selina discovered Sequoyah because of its Field Studies program. Having moved to the United States a year earlier, she was looking for an education that was challenging and fun — and the brand-new high school offered both in abundance. She got over her fear of bugs through numerous camping trips, learned English reading Tolstoy and The Odyssey, and helped found the STEM Institute with fellow Sequoyah students. As a result, former science faculty Laura Haney was able to gain access to the Goldstone Apple Valley radio telescope and teach the science behind the cosmos. It was the first time Selina had ever used one.

“[Sequoyah] made that connection for us,” she says. “The intent was student-driven, but the school’s resources really helped. By touching the telescope, I realized this is an actual path. That we were taking a rigorous approach to learn about such a romantic part of the world.”

As a result, Selina dove deeper into scientific work. “I didn’t learn math to brag,” she says. “I did it so that math can be a tool to learn, that there are people who dedicate their life to advance a field of science. Laura exemplified that and showed me that I could do astronomy in college.”

Selina attended Columbia University as an undergraduate, graduating magna cum laude in spring 2024. During her studies, she was part of the Gravity Team and revived Blue Shift, an astronomy club coincidentally founded by Laura Haney. As president, she grew its membership during the pandemic, invited guest speakers to campus, and built an alum network for fellow astronomers. “I wasn’t scared to network with people who are more powerful than I am,” she says. “That came from Sequoyah’s Social Innovation Program building me up.

“Sequoyah hired great people,” Selina adds. “We learned scientific writing. We learned LaTeX. The faculty had extraordinary research backgrounds and were able to share their experience with us. It’s about the teacher teaching the things you need for you to ask your own questions. A Sequoyah education is very holistic.”

Now entering her first year as a doctoral student, Selina looks forward to completing her PhD and exploring the universe — and the planet.

“I’m hoping to travel,” she says. “I’m hoping to work on the telescope in Kitt Peak in Arizona and another one being set up in Chile.” When on campus, however, she’ll continue her coursework, work as a teaching assistant for lower-level classes, and reflect on her professional goals. While many technological advances have created a modern-day renaissance in astronomy, telescopes are still the heart of the equation. Will she look for work building them for NASA or Jet Propulsion Labs after graduation, or stay in academia to teach and research the next big thing? She has five or six years to decide before officially becoming Dr. Yang.

In the meantime, she plans to occasionally camp with friends and family.

“I’ll be the one who knows how to set up tents.”