Student Spotlight - Roberto DeGregorio

Q: What is your current class standing and anticipated graduation date?

I will be graduating in spring 2022.

Q: What are your major(s) and/or minors?

I am a double major in honors chemistry (B.S.) and philosophy (B.A.), with a minor in biochemistry.

Q: Why did you choose to become a philosophy major?

During high school, I stumbled upon Nausea by Jean Paul Sartre. I was immediately gripped by the story of a man revolted by his own existence. While I understood some of the philosophical issues Sartre explores—free will, the meaning of existence, the nature of reality—I was overcome by the desire to learn and understand more. Ultimately, I chose to become a philosophy major to explore the "big" questions about life.

Q: What are your goals for the future? Do you have plans to attend graduate school, or do you have a career in mind upon graduation?

After graduation, I hope to attend a dual M.D./Ph.D. program with intentions of becoming a physician scientist.

Q: What are your interests in philosophy?

Existentialism, phenomenology, stoicism, ancient Greek philosophy, and ethics. I have recently become more interested in the Frankfurt School and political theory and the connection between Marxism and existentialism. I have also been taking an independent study this semester on Martin Heidegger's Being and Time, which has kindled an interest in the primordial moods of Dasein and the authenticity of existence.

Q: Who are your favorite philosophers?

Jean-Paul Sartre, Karl Marx, Baruch Spinoza, Theodor W. Adorno, Albert Camus, Seneca, and Marcus Aurelius.

Q: Do you have a favorite quote by a philosopher?

"I must be without remorse or regrets as I am without excuse; for from the instant of my upsurge into being, I carry the weight of the world by myself alone without help, engaged in a world for which I bear the whole responsibility without being able, whatever I do, to tear myself away from this responsibility for an instant."—Jean-Paul Sartre, Being and Nothingness

Q: What is your favorite book in philosophy?

Meditations, by Marcus Aurelius

Q: Have you had any recent accomplishments such as conferences you attended/presented at, awards/scholarships you have received, contests you have won, publications you have made, and so forth?

I'm very proud to have been inducted into Phi Beta Kappa last spring. I was also fortunate enough to participate in the 2020 DOE/ACS funded Nuclear Radiochemistry Summer Program.