From graduation to the workforce

Mathematics graduate Emily Oliver earns President’s Medal before landing job

By California State University, Bakersfield

June 8^th, 2021

Recent mathematics graduate Emily Oliver didn’t get to spend much of her time as a student at California State University, Bakersfield on campus, but that didn’t stop her from leaving an impression. A transfer student, Oliver had one full semester of in-person classes before COVID-19 would force her to complete the remainder of her education online. It wasn’t easy, but her continued efforts would eventually lead her to receive one of the university’s top honors.

Oliver was named the top undergraduate of the class of 2021 by CSUB President Lynnette Zelezny, as well as the Outstanding Undergraduate Student for the School of Natural Sciences, Mathematics and Engineering and the Outstanding Undergraduate Student for Mathematics.

“I was really surprised and grateful,” Oliver said of receiving the awards. “I thought it was cool that I got to show all this hard work I had done. It was cool for my family, to give that back to them and say, ‘You helped me get through college and now I can share these moments with you.’”

On top of feeling honored by the recognition, Oliver, 21, is now also feeling that unique blend of excitement and anxiety that comes following graduation. Finding a job in one’s field is a common concern for recent graduates, but Oliver already has one lined up as a mathematician at Naval Air Weapons Station in China Lake, or NAVAIR. Still, as any new hire can attest, that can come with its own set of worries.

“It’s nerve-wracking knowing now that I’m going into this unknown new world of working, but I’m excited,” Oliver said. “I’m pretty happy that I’m done with some of my classes because they were difficult. It’s been a really hard year, so it’s really nice to be done.”

Growing up in Frazier Park, Oliver easily took to mathematics as a child, quickly finishing her “mad minute” multiplication exercises so she could have more free time on the computer in elementary school. Though she initially struggled with reading as a child due to her eyesight, she found math a more straightforward and approachable subject and excelled at it, overcoming the increasingly challenging material as her classes went on each year.

As a high school student through Valley Oaks Charter School, Oliver took college courses at Taft College. When she later worked on her associate degree there, she also took classes at CSUB, where she transferred full time in the fall of 2019.

“I like my transitions,” Oliver said, identifying a theme. “It’s how I’ve always lived. I dip my toes in before I jump in.”

Oliver had only just gotten her feet wet at CSUB when campus closed due to COVID last March. Like other students, the last year of online classes taught Oliver that she was capable of more than she knew. She had always been a good student, but remote learning required her to manage her time well and stay on track despite being surrounded by distractions.

“I always say COVID was my karma because I told everybody I would never take math online – never ever,” Oliver said. “And then that was my only choice. It was not fun. There’s something about being in class and being with the teacher as they write it on the board and you write it down, rather than being in your house staring at your computer while the dog’s whining at the window and you have dirty dishes in the sink and your boyfriend is gaming in the other room. It’s just a very different reality. It’s harder to focus and prioritize.”

Besides the unforeseen challenges of the last year, Oliver enjoyed her time at CSUB. The key to her success, she said, has been her fearlessness in advocating for herself, asking questions even if the answer seems obvious to the professor or the rest of the class.

“I’m not a particularly shy student; if I need information, I’m going to get the information I need,” she said. “I’m sure my professors can attest to that. One time I was working in the math room and one of my professors’ office was a couple feet away from it, and I think I went in like two or three times that day within an hour. He was probably going crazy, but I had lots of questions! If you’re not willing to go get the knowledge, you’re not going to be very successful.”

Mathematics professor Dr. Becky Larson got to know Oliver in the senior seminar course she taught with Dr. David Gove. Though she only met Oliver in the student’s final semester at CSUB, Dr. Larson recalled the many conversations the two had outside of class, discussions that ranged from course material to life in general.

“What I learned about Emily is that she is going to do whatever it takes to do the best she can do and be the best she can be,” Dr. Larson said. “She always wanted to make sure she understood expectations so she could meet or exceed them. If someone told her she couldn’t do something, her goal was to prove them wrong.”

With her degree and a job offer, Oliver knows all the hard work (and her countless questions) have paid off. She couldn’t have done it without the support her family has offered throughout her education, she said. Her parents both have backgrounds in math and science, and she appreciates that she and her sister grew up in “a very STEM-positive house.”

Soon, Oliver will start at NAVAIR working in software development and data analysis. A fan of easing into big changes, the jump from student to full-time employee will be a major one. Luckily, she’ll already know one of her thousands of new coworkers: her boyfriend, William Sparks — who was recognized as NSME’s Outstanding Undergraduate Student for Computer Science this year — already works at NAVAIR, though the two will work in different departments.

To current and future students, Oliver’s advice is to ask lots of questions and be realistic with one’s expectations.

“You can only be what you’re willing to work to be,” she said, reciting a quote a high school English teacher told her once. “You can’t go in expecting to get a degree and think it will be easy, because it probably won’t be. It’s really good to set yourself up to know it’s going to be difficult and you’ll have to make sacrifices. You can’t be successful without working hard.”