Q & A with Dr. Gary, featuring Thomas Chuna, Men's Swimming and Diving

Q & A with Dr. Gary

Thomas Chuna ’16, Swimming & Diving, Physics and Mathematics major

Q: What is your favorite class experience/ professor experience at Wittenberg?

A: My favorite academic experience was going to the Division of Nuclear Physics Fall meeting with Dr. Elizabeth George. The whole trip lasted about four days; we flew to Santa Fe, New Mexico. It was a wonderful experience to be completely surrounded by cutting edge Nuclear Physics research. During the week, Dr. George and I each presented our research and had quite a few enlightening conversations that really helped me decide what to do with my future. It was a really fun and formative experience.

Q: What is your most memorable sports moment at Witt?

A: My favorite sports memory was watching Katie Black dive at Wittenberg’s home meet versus Ohio Northern this year. She swept both events easily and set the Wittenberg pool record, but that’s pretty standard for Katie. If you ever get the chance to watch her dive do it, her dives are flawless. However, what was really important about this meet was how happy she was to see the rest of the team do well. Everyone on the dive team had a either a personal record or a season best at that meet and Katie was ecstatic for every dive. Even when her back started hurting (which has been a bummer all season) her pride in her team wasn’t stifled. It was inspiring to be a part of.

Q: Why do you enjoy being a Wittenberg Tiger?

A: I enjoy being a Wittenberg Tiger because I know that the people here support me. If I have a dream I know someone is rooting for me to succeed. What’s more, the staff of Wittenberg has their own goals and they share those goals with me and that motivates me. Like the great speech from Coach Carter it gives others permission to dream of success. In short, I enjoy being a Wittenberg Tiger because no one sets a limit on who you can be.

Q: What do you see yourself doing after Witt?

A: After Wittenberg, I’m going into theoretical physics. If everything works out my research should be published in the near future (It’s on the Standard Model of Particle physics). I’m favoring Nuclear Physics at Michigan State or possibly Statistical Mechanics at Stanford. After season, I plan to dive enough to remember how to do a 2 and a half front flip, because it looks so cool.

Q: After your time at Wittenberg, how will you pass the light on to others?

A: I plan to pass the light on to others by teaching Physics or, if the opportunity presents itself, coaching a swim team. Honestly, if I can help others as much as my coaches and teachers have helped me I will consider my life a good one.