FROM REBEL TO MATHEMATICIAN JUAN LUQUE CHANG ’19

Mathematics

HOMETOWN: Panama City, Panama

A Chance to Shine

There were points at which Juan Luque Chang wasn’t sure he’d go to college. He was 11 when his family moved to the U.S., and he says he went through a bit of a rebellious phase. “I did okay in school,” he explains, “but I wasn’t excelling.” Instead, he imagined himself as an EMT or a firefighter. Nonetheless, he decided to apply to Montgomery College. “I didn’t have the confidence or the funds for a four-year school,” he explains. The smaller class sizes and the faculty’s nurturing approach helped him to thrive. “Community college was really great for me,” he adds. “It let me shine and find myself, particularly in mathematics, which I thought I hated.”

Getting a Head Start

With a new passion uncovered, Juan was ready to take his education to the next level. “I wanted to come to a school I knew was strong in STEM,” says Juan. After hearing a presentation from UMBC’s Sherman STEM Teacher Scholars Program, he knew he’d found that strength. He also learned about UMBC’s Transfer Student Alliance, which provided support as he began to consider UMBC.

The Support to Succeed

The transition to UMBC was tough at first, because Juan was still living in Rockville without a car—he’d spend as many as four hours a day commuting. But, he was able to turn to the Sherman program staff for guidance. “The Sherman administration was always helpful,” he says. “They supported and listened to me.”

And he was loving his classes, thanks to the engaging math department faculty who opened their doors to him. “I came to UMBC knowing I wanted to really challenge myself with math and STEM,” Juan explains. “I wanted to make the most of the curriculum here.”

He did that and more, and is now pursuing a Ph.D. in computer science.