Jesse Leahy-McGregor: To the stars and beyond

Jesse Leahy-McGregor is an astrophysics junior from Traverse City, Mich., who intends to graduate in spring 2021. He is a first-generation college student.

Last spring, Jesse Leahy-McGregor feared he’d have to skip fall semester at MSU and return to his hometown because of financial issues and life events. Then his research advisor and faculty mentor told him about the College of Natural Science (NatSci) Undergraduate Emergency Assistance Fund.

These emergency funds are available to assist students who are faced with minor financial needs and challenges, including unforeseen expenses that may put students in jeopardy of completing their MSU education. To date, seven students have been helped by this fund since its inception in April 2019.

Because of donors who generously gave to establish and support the fund, Leahy-McGregor is now on track to complete his undergraduate degree at MSU.

“The moment I first heard that I had received funds I thought, ‘Hey, I can go to school!’ I had no chance of going to school this fall without this extra cash,” said Leahy-McGregor.

After finishing an associate’s degree at Northwestern Michigan College, Leahy-McGregor had worked for three years—sometimes holding two or three jobs at a time—to save up money so he could continue his education.

“A lot of life happened from that point on,” he said. “Maybe not the best parts of my life, but it led me to being here.”

He chose to come to MSU because of the excellent facilities for physics and astronomy, and the great faculty. Building a good rapport with his physics and astronomy professors led to him securing an undergraduate research position in the department over the summer.

Leahy-McGregor recalls his favorite experience at MSU—working in the MSU Observatory.

“I work there typically from sunset to sunrise,” he said.

The NatSci emergency funds allow students to focus not only on their coursework and research, but on extracurricular experiences that will advance their careers in the sciences and help them develop personally and professionally.

“I’ve spent a lot of time tutoring through the math centers on campus,” he said. “It’s rewarding for me to be able to help students who are struggling with math. It’s a lot of fun for me.”

“I imagine other students saying, ‘I like to go hiking’ or ‘I like to do things with my friends.’

I like to prove the rationality of the square root of 2!” Leahy-McGregor quipped. After receiving his bachelor’s degree, he plans to attend graduate school, with a focus on the study of novae and supernovae.

“I would like to tell the donors to the emergency fund how grateful I am that they gave me this opportunity to continue my education,” Leahy-McGregor said. “I didn’t know what else I was going to do. Being able to get this money helped me have a future.”