TCC Student Completes Prestigious Astrophysics Internship

Tulsa Community College student and Marine Corps veteran Sergio Perez spent the summer at Yale University through the Research Experience for Veteran Undergraduates program. The Physics major conducted astrophysics research, gained new technical skills, and built lifelong connections with fellow veterans.

Tulsa Community College student and veteran Sergio Perez spent the summer at Yale University conducting astrophysics research through the Research Experience for Veteran Undergraduates (REVU). For two months, the Physics major worked alongside graduate students and faculty on projects normally reserved for advanced researchers.

Perez says the experience pushed himself far beyond what he thought possible.

“It was life changing,” he says. “They didn’t expect us to be great scientists and researchers out the gate. The program was for them to build us up to a level where we can be successful in science careers.”

Returning to College

Perez is a Marine Corps veteran and first-generation college student. After leaving the military in 2023, he enrolled at TCC with a determination to pursue Physics.

“As I transitioned out of the Marine Corps, I faced many challenges—the fear of not belonging, imposter syndrome, a troubled academic past,” says Perez.

Support from TRIO Student Support Services, faculty mentors, and his own persistence helped Perez become an Honor Student, True Blue Lead, and Oklahoma TRIO Hall of Fame inductee. He maintained a 4.0 GPA throughout his time at TCC.

Perez first learned about the REVU Program through the Warrior Scholar Project, a STEM bootcamp for veterans held at universities throughout the U.S. Through WSP, Perez met mentors who later became his directors for the highly competitive internship.

“I wanted to see if there were communities of support for veterans specifically in academia. And that’s how I came across the Warrior Scholar Project,” Perez recalls. “At the bootcamp, I was told about the internship and had a long conversation with a Yale professor who encouraged me to pursue it.”

Perez began the application process with help from TRIO.

“Writing has always been one of my weaker skills,” Perez said. “Through TRIO, I met a mentor whose strength is writing. She didn’t know much about STEM at first, but she took the time to learn it just to help me. We spent literally hours working on essays for my application.”

Research at Yale

The hard work paid off when Perez found out he’d been accepted for the REVU Program. The intense, 9-week summer internship hosted by Yale is for U.S. veteran undergraduate students, where they perform research in a STEM field of their interest and develop skills needed to become a research scientist.

Perez was immersed in astrophysics, a branch of physics that studies the stars, galaxies, and the universe. He was given a heavy load of textbooks, scientific papers, and coding manuals, while being asked to contribute to real research.

“The first month was the hardest,” he said. “I realized that the level of academia was a huge difference, but it was rewarding. It changed my perspective on a lot of things.”

Perez studied the Phoenix Stellar Stream, a ribbon of stars orbiting the Milky Way. In simple terms, Perez helped identify stars that may be part of this stellar “family.” Finding these connections allows scientists to better understand how galaxies form and expand, adding to the current hierarchical model of the formation of the universe.

Much of his work was done through computer coding that analyzed massive sets of data collected from telescopes in Chile and elsewhere. The experience taught Perez technical skills and new ways of thinking.

“There were times I didn’t know what I was doing with my code, but I kept following my mentor’s guidance, and it finally clicked,” Perez said. “I understand what I’m doing. I’m extending the stream so we can see if there are any deviations from its projected orbital path around our galaxy over time. Adding more information to our overall understanding of the formation of our galaxy.”

During the internship, Perez lived on the Ivy League school’s campus with eight other veterans, a cohort that represented disciplines ranging from robotics to medical research. They were housed in the same dorm hallway, which helped them quickly form friendships.

Yale’s location on the East Coast also gave Perez the chance to discover a different pace of life. On weekends and evenings, the cohort often explored the vast food scenes and area hotspots.

“One of the state parks was only a 15-minute drive. It’s like Turkey Mountain on steroids,” he said. “When you get to that park, you feel very disconnected from the modern-day world. Even though you can see the city line once you’re on top of the mountain, you feel like you’re somewhere else.”

Looking to the Future

Perez said the experience confirmed his dream of pursuing astrophysics for a career.

“I love exploring, and this is the best way I can explore the universe without being physically able to go. It really ironed out my will for this and to keep going,” he said.

Despite the new skills and experiences gained, Perez said one of the most important takeaways was rediscovering his passion for reading.

“If you want to be an academic, the best thing you can do is read,” Perez said. “And I mean, read a lot. I found my love for reading again. I found myself picking up my phone less and picking up a book more.”

Now a TCC graduate, Perez is taking additional classes as he prepares to transfer to a bachelor’s program.

“With this research experience and letters of recommendation from my professors and my connections there, I’m expanding my horizon. I want to apply to schools outside of Oklahoma, like University of California on the West Coast and throughout the U.S.”