Luke Brownlee

    Hi y'all! I grew up in Furman's home city (Greenville, SC) and am beyond pumped to be participating

in Math and the Mouse! I just completed my first year at Furman pursuing a triple major in Biology,         Mathematics, and Vocal Performance on the Pre-Vet track. 

    I actually found out about this MayX experience from Dr. Harris himself during a scholarship interview day at Furman and knew I had to apply when the time came, especially after hearing so many overwhelmingly positive student testimonials once I got on campus. I have been to Disney World twice in my life; however, both of these times were over a decade ago, so I am well overdue to return. While I may not be returning in a purely recreational context, one could argue that getting to explore the mathematics behind Disney's "magic" and their cultivation of the most optimized family experience is significantly more exciting! Regardless, I look forward to putting my analytical skills into practice while taking a peek behind the curtain to see the inner machinery and mathematical structures that comprise the Disney World experience.

I have never not been a Disney fan! My favorite movie of all time is actually Mulan (which I know every word to), and the reason I fell in love with music but more specifically singing in the first place is due to songs like "Reflection," "I'll Make a Man Out of You," and "Let it Go" which I will shamelessly sing ad nauseam even to this day. I've also had the opportunity to portray the Beast in the musical Beauty and the Beast during my junior year of high school (as you can see in the bottom picture) which was a watershed moment of my pre-collegiate musical career. Many of my most cherished memories seem to be inextricably tied to the Disney enterprise, and I have so much gratitude for the opportunities I've had to to find parts of my identity in the timeless stories Disney characters tell from the perspective of being characters myself and seeing them portrayed on screen. Beyond all that sappiness though, I look forward to spending way too much money on Disney paraphernalia I probably don't need and getting to know this years' Math and the Mouse cohort better!