Three Astronomy Alumni Aim for the Stars

Erika Silva first became fascinated by astronomy when she saw a blood moon at age 10. For Bilal Smith, it was star-gazing as a child that sparked his passion. And for Erin Howard, it was the 1997 appearance of the rare Haley-Bopp comet in the night sky.

These Olympic College alumni have different life stories, but all share a fierce curiosity about the origins of the universe — along with the determination to make it through challenging coursework to attain their goals. They graduated with associate degrees from Olympic College and went on to earn four-year degrees and launch their careers.  

“These students are so inspiring,” said Bob Abel, Professor Emeritus at Olympic College, who has encouraged their academic and career pursuits. “It’s a long slog to work and go to school. If they don’t give up, that’s something special.”

Indeed, Erika Silva’s path was not always straightforward.

“I didn’t have a great track record in high school,” Silva said. “I went to Olympic College when I was 25 and wasn’t sure what I wanted to study.”

Then she recalled her childhood interest in astronomy. She took basic math prep courses, then studied algebra, physics and astronomy.

“The math tutors at Olympic College really helped me,” she said. “I felt like part of a community. And the professors were approachable and willing to help.”

She earned her associate’s degree in 2018, and will graduate this year from Western Washington University with a degree in physics/astronomy. She plans to go to graduate school, but is taking a break while seeking a job in astronomy visualization, which involves planetarium software.

In January, Erika had the opportunity to present a poster at the 241st meeting of the American Astronomical Society in Seattle.

“What fascinates me about astronomy is the mystery of it all,” Silva said. “Humans have always been curious about reality, how everything came to be. Studying astronomy makes me feel a little more satisfied, even though for one answered question there are always thousands of unanswered ones.”

Bilal Smith’s questions about the universe also led him to pursue a career in astronomy.

“Since I was a child, I was fascinated by the stars, especially mass stars,” he said. “What’s out there? How do the stars glow?”

Smith grew up in Port Orchard and attended Olympic College because of its nearby location, graduating in 2020. “I was mostly taking math and physics classes,” he said, “Then I took Intro to Astronomy, which rekindled the fire,” he said.  

He’s now a senior at the University of Washington, studying physics and astronomy and preparing to learn Python, a computer coding language used in astronomy. He plans to pursue a career in stellar theory research.

“Olympic College prepared me well for university,” Smith said. “I liked how comparatively pragmatic the curriculum was. I appreciated how the professors taught. They explained things in ways that were understandable.”

His advice to aspiring astronomy/physics students?

“Don’t be discouraged by failure. In physics, failure is essential to the process. Keep the passion alive.”

Erin Howard certainly kept the passion alive through many years before choosing a career in astronomy. After attending Olympic College on and off from 2004-2007, she briefly attended university.

“University didn't work out, and I kept trying different programs at OC, not finding anything I wanted to do nearly as much as astronomy,” she said. “After a few years, I quit trying and continued my day job as a website and software tester.”

But Howard persevered, returning to OC in 2015, and graduating with an associate degree in 2018. In 2022, she graduated cum laude from Western Washington University in 2022, where she was a Presidential Scholar in the College of Science and Engineering.

“Going back to school after so long in industry and not having many study skills was hard,” she recalled. “OC helped me develop as a student. The teachers and the MESA program were wonderful, and I credit them with my success. The tutoring center was phenomenal, speaking as someone who both received tutoring and eventually worked there as a tutor. I cannot stress how important it is to know how to study, take notes and strategize on tests — that's half the battle of succeeding in college.”

Howard plans to become a stellar astrophysicist and software developer.

“I want to help build tools that make it easier to navigate Big Data,” she said. “I want to look through that data and find cool stellar objects that have never been seen before or have yet to be studied thoroughly.”

All this springing from Howard’s first glimpse of the Haley-Bopp comet in 1997 from her backyard.

“It was a huge deal,” she recalled. “My family bought a telescope and we saw the comet for several nights. I wanted to know what it was, where it came from, and why it looked the way it did. My world got a bit bigger during that time.”

Professor Abel couldn’t be prouder of these outstanding alumni and the part Olympic College played in their education.

“We’re a local, accessible school and part of our community,” he said. “We’re invested in our students’ success.”

Learn more

Learn more about Olympic College's Astronomy program on the Astronomy webpage.

Blog Post by Jean Jackman.