Page 59 - Menlo Magazine: Summer/Fall 2018

M E N L O M A G A Z I N E
Jess Fry ’15 performing in M. Butterfly (photo courtesy of Jess Fry)
It seemed only natural to continue pursuing this interest
at Stanford, which led to some incredible research opportunities. Most recently, I conducted research at the European Organization for Nuclear Research (CERN) on
the ATLAS experiment, looking for a specific model of dark matter in the particle collider’s data. Moving forward, I’d love to continue pursuing similar research at CERN or future collider facilities.
Do you see overlap in these two interests, or do you compartmentalize them? Does your experience with dance inform your relationship with your science studies and vice versa?
Obviously, dance and particle physics aren’t exactly a logical pair, so I tend to compartmentalize them. That said, however, I think they absolutely inform one another in my life. Every discipline cultivates a unique way of perceiving the world, which, while valuable, can prevent you from seeing the bigger picture or thinking outside the box. To me, it’s incredibly powerful to develop these multiple perspectives and apply them across my varied interests. Dance has provided a creative, physical point of view that informs my science studies. Similarly, my scientific approach informs my art.
How has your Menlo experience affected how you approach your work?
One of my biggest takeaways from Menlo was the value
of being a Renaissance person, like so many of my Menlo teachers and my Menlo classmates who have diverse interests and passions. As you can see, I have really taken this value to heart with my somewhat eclectic interests.
What advice would you give young people growing up today?
Be curious and work hard. I believe those two traits can take you anywhere!
What’s next for you?
Since performing in M. Butterfly, I have kept busy by working on a pre-Broadway lab of the show Other World, filming an episode of The Americans on FX, performing in Mamma Mia at Pioneer Theatre Company, and dancing in Jerome Robbins’s Broadway at the Muny. Next year, I’ll be taking more time off from Stanford to perform in the first national tour of a Broadway production, the name of which I can’t disclose just yet.
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