#SoCaltech: Luisa Boateng

"I started college through the early entrance program at Cal State LA when I was 13. That was back in 2020. I then did my last two years of college at Stanford. A lot of people thought it would be very stressful to start college that young, and I think it can be for some people. But I made a lot of friends whom I still keep in touch with today. We were all very happy to develop interests that we were passionate about. For me, it was math, but I had friends studying all kinds of topics. Because we had so much freedom, the program really helped us develop as people and to cultivate our interests in a way that going to high school probably wouldn't have done. 

At Caltech, I'm working with my advisor Matilde Marcolli on a project that connects various areas of math, like automata theory [abstract models of computation], logic, and mathematical physics. I'm also interested in category theory, which is the abstract study of mathematical relations and structures, as it applies to these subjects. Caltech has a great math community. It's a close-knit department and very friendly. I'm getting to know people in other departments too. Like my undergrad experience at Cal State LA and Stanford, this is a very welcoming environment for pursuing my interests."

Luisa Boateng is a first-year graduate student at Caltech. Cal State LA’s Early Entrance Program, where Boateng started her undergraduate journey, allows students ages 11 to 15 to enroll full time in the school’s Honors College. 

#SoCaltech is an occasional series celebrating the diverse individuals who give Caltech its spirit of excellence, ambition, and ingenuity. Know someone we should profile? Send nominations to magazine@caltech.edu.