Shuyi Ma’s happy place was one of campus’ most picturesque settings.
“The main courtyard,” the two-degree grad (MS '12/Ph.D. '14, chemical engineering) says from Seattle, where she’s a postdoctoral scientist at the Center for Infectious Disease Research.
“I loved how it was framed with flowering magnolias each spring as a herald of warming weather. I loved sitting on the lawn during the term to listen to tunes played from the Altgeld bell tower and during summer evenings to watch swarms of fireflies wink above the grass.
“I loved seeing the paths that criss-crossed the grass lined up with hundreds of tiny candles at night during the Diwali celebrations each fall.
“Taking in the courtyard’s expansive beauty would always help me to decompress."
