Today’s Streaks Alumni Profile features Juniper Schwartzman from the Galesburg HS’s Class of 2023.
Normally my alumni profiles features people who graduated years and years ago. It is a great opportunity to catch up and all that they have done over several decades. I have reached out to both Juniper and her sister, Camellia to do a profile, even though they graduated just a few years ago.
Juniper has done so much during her college years that I wanted to see if I could “catch up” on her busy and impressive college experience. She has had so many opportunities and has done so much in such a short time.
Her passion and drive are so impressive, and her achievements are inspirational. I have a feeling that Juniper is someone that I will need to reach out to every 3-4 years to keep track of all she has done.
Favorite Teachers/Classes
Mr. Baxter and my AP Physics class with him- it’s what made me want to go into physics.
Activities/Sports at GHS
While at GHS I was a part of Varsity Basketball, Volleyball, Soccer, Gadets (Football & Basketball), Tennis (2020) and Track (2020). I also participated in the Marching Band, Pep Band, and Wind Symphony as well as the Academic Challenge Team.
Favorite Memories from Galesburg/GHS
My favorite memories at GHS were all of the sporting events. I have fond memories of dancing/playing in the marching band at the football games with the sunset emerging in the background. I also loved playing in Thiel Gym with the basketball team. Seeing how much our community supported girls basketball was amazing.
The community in Galesburg is something I’ve come to appreciate a lot since leaving.
Why Did Grinnell Turn Out to be a Good Choice for You
I chose Grinnell because of the academic rigor, closeness to home, and because it allowed me to continue competing in sports (while at Grinnell I participated in basketball, track, football, and soccer). I studied physics and environmental studies there and formed meaningful relationships with several of my professors due to the small class sizes.
Grinnell gave me amazing friendships with my teamates, peers, and coaches, and I am forever grateful for it.
It Seems Like Every Break in School, You are Doing an Amazing Internship
I have been fortunate enough to participate in many internships over the years. After graduating GHS I was a civil engineering intern for the city in which I differentiated road extremities, putting them into a database to prioritize certain road repairs over others.
The next summer (2024), I participated in a NSF funded REU (Research Experience for Undergrads) at Washington University in St. Louis. There I conducted research in the Mechanical Engineering department to optimize the thermal conductivity in 3D printed aluminum structures for use as cold plates in electric vehicles.
Spring of 2025 I interned at NASA Headquarters in Washington, D.C., shadowing Associate Chief Scientist Dr. Kartik Sheth. There I was able to see the policy side of the technology and network with many people at NASA, the White House, and various startups.
Summer 2025 I participated in another NSF REU at Binghamton University in New York. Here I was working on optimizing surface science techniques to analyze perovskite solar cells at the nanoscale level. I was able to present my work at conferences in Buffalo and Denver.
This past summer (2026) I participated in a NSF IRES (International Research Experience for Students) in Berlin Germany at the Center for the Science of Materials Berlin. Here my research focus was on inkjet printing for perovskite solar cells, working to scale up this device for commercialization.
While at Grinnell, the college paid for me to go to South Africa to conduct ectoparasite research in Kruger National Park as well as Fairbanks Alaska to analyze the DNA/RNA of permafrost samples to see disease threats caused by climate change. Further, this coming winter break, my college will be paying for my trip to Gandhinager India to explore technology/policy there.
This Fall You Will Be in California
This fall I will be studying Mechanical Engineering at the California Institute of Technology (Caltech).
I will also be continuing my athletic career by playing volleyball, basketball and track there.
I am doing a 3-2 program in which I will receive a B.A. in Physics from Grinnell and B.S. in MechE from Caltech. I will also be furthering my solar research at Caltech by joining the Atwater lab as the only undergrad in the group.
After 2 years there, I plan on either going directly into industry or pursuing a PhD in mechanical engineering/material science.
Advice to Today’s Students/Athletes
Some advice to current students/athletes would be to take advantage of every opportunity offered to them. You get out of high school and college exactly what you put in and these are important years to find out what you enjoy, what you’re good at, and what you want to do with the rest of your life.
So tryout for that team, contact that coach, apply for internships (no matter how unqualified you think you are- we all start somewhere), and don’t be hesitant to try something outside of your comfort zone- you never know where it might take you.
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