Articulate, Confident, Responsible Citizens of the World
Dr. Thomas Foo '77 Speaks to Upper School Students
On Wednesday, April 12 Dr. Thomas Foo '77 traveled from Wilmington, Delaware to New York City to speak to Upper School students as part of the Ampersand Seminar Series. The Ampersand Seminar Series is a lunchtime elective, which invites professionals that can speak to our students’ diverse interests in an effort to enrich their classroom experience. Over 30 students attended the seminar in the library.
Dr. Foo spoke about his experiences as a student at Cathedral and a chemical engineer. He grew up in the Frederick Douglass Houses on 102nd street. At an early age he developed a love and natural knack for science and math. Although he loved science and math, the teachers at Cathedral cultivated his interest in other subjects, including Latin. He continued studying Latin at Stuyvesant High School, and said that his background in Latin has informed his scientific training.
Tom received a S.B and S.M. in Chemical Engineering from MIT. He then received his Ph.D. in Chemistry from the University of California-Berkeley. Over the past 25 years Dr. Foo has worked at DuPont as a research and project engineer.
Throughout his talk Dr. Foo stressed the importance of being well rounded. He told students that it is great to be passionate about a subject, but it’s more important to have variety of interests. He said this will not only enrich your life, but also better inform your passion. He also encouraged students to be adaptable and flexible in life and to embrace learning as a lifelong endeavor.
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