Women’s History Month Q&As: Amy Stone

Name: Amy Stone

Years at the school: 23

Field: STEM

What would you consider to be your greatest achievements? 

“Graduating third in my class at Rockford High School [and] winning the Distinguished Alumnus-in-Residence award in Physics through Grand Valley State University (GVSU).”

What are some of the most exciting experiences you’ve ever had?

“[For] exciting fun, [I’d say] dipping a hammer in flowing lava in Hawaii on a field trip through GVSU to create a rock [and] watching a total solar eclipse in Wyoming with my family. [But in terms of] exciting scary, walking away uninjured from a plane crash.”

Do you have any women you look up to?

“Sally Ride. She was a physicist and the first U.S. woman in space.”

How do you strive to be a mentor to other women?

“There are not a lot of women who graduate with a Physics degree. For some reason, women tend to pursue the more biological sciences in high school and college rather than the more mathematical sciences, like chemistry and physics. Most high school and college physics teachers are men. In college, I believe I had one female physics professor. It is my hope that female students at FHC, by having a female physics teacher, see that the more mathematical sciences are an exciting option for them to pursue.”

What would high school you think of you now?

“I don’t think my high school [self] would be surprised by where I am now. I always wanted to be a teacher. I declared my college major to be Physics and Math before I ever graduated from high school. I never changed my major in college. I actually live next door to my high school physics teacher, Mr. J.”

What obstacles have you had to overcome as a woman?

“None, really. I never had classmates, teachers, family, or colleagues discourage me from pursuing my passion.”