Gianna Baker

College/University: Washington and Jefferson College

Gianna Baker is a junior at Washington and Jefferson College (W&J) with a projected graduation date of May 2025. She is a mathematics major and a part of the 3-2 engineering program with an emphasis in computer science. Aligning with her academic interests, she is a Teaching Assistant for Calculus I, a part of the Society of Physical Students (SPS), and learns new programming languages in her free time. This led her to the STEMNetX Fellowship as it incorporates all three of her passions: mathematics, physics, and computer science. Her studies at W&J reflect these different disciplines and have been motivated by her boundless curiosity. Knowing the answer to “what” is not sufficient; she must know “why” and “how.” She has found fulfillment for this within diverse STEM fields, as they not only satisfy her curiosities but provide an academic challenge as well. Her major areas of interest include quantum information science (QIS), program synthesis and repair, and mathematical programming. She hopes to become either a software engineer, physicist, or a mathematics professor. With these diverging paths ahead of her, Gianna hopes the STEMNetX Fellowship will help narrow these career goals and map out her future while gaining invaluable experience and mentoring. She finds balance in her extracurriculars which include participating in W&J’s lacrosse and dance teams, weightlifting, and finding time to drum.