Lucille Sugarman initially viewed College of DuPage as a stepping stone to a prestigious four-year university.

What she discovered was far more than just a place to take prerequisites.

“COD was a wonderful first choice,” she said. “I found immense knowledge and fulfillment.”

Thank you, College of DuPage, for giving me a real chance to live my dream.

Lucille Sugarman

College wasn’t even on the horizon when Sugarman was sent to a therapeutic boarding school in Utah after her own self-worth plummeted, accompanied by narcotics and hospitalizations. While in the mountains, she decided to rewrite her story.

“I used to tell myself hateful narratives informed by gymnastics coaches and a perceived inadequacy relative to my brother. These stories corroded and eventually defined me,” she said. “I was a bystander to my life’s bleak unfolding. After a long rant about all of my shortcomings and failures and regrets, my dear friend Ashlynn, who taught at the school I attended, responded, ‘Alright. What are you going to do about it?’”

Sugarman took charge of her life. Deciding to eventually get a Ph.D. in theoretical physics and pursue postdoctoral research, she began at COD and discovered a robust curriculum in physics and mathematics. This included a research opportunity with physics instructor Raul Barrea, where she investigated the quantum mechanical nature of time and its relationship with the second law of thermodynamics.

“The Math and Physics programs, like most things at College of DuPage, are exactly what you make of them,” she said. “The quality of your experience isn’t handed to you. It’s built through effort, curiosity, perseverance and consistent engagement. I immersed myself especially in the math program while pursuing an ambitious goal: to complete the entire calculus sequence within just one year. That pace demanded not only discipline but a willingness to actively seek out support. From that experience, the best advice I can offer is to visit the math assistance area, attend office hours, don’t hesitate to ask questions and don’t be afraid of ‘sounding dumb.’”

Sugarman also immersed herself in on-campus activities. She was the president of the Honors Student Advisory Committee; has presented her research at multiple symposia, including the COD Library Student Research Symposium twice; and served as the captain of the Women's Soccer Team, being named to the athletic director’s honor roll. Through her Innovation DuPage internship with LivNow Relocation, she built an AI agent prototype designed for deployment within the LivNow app, which assists relocation specialists with automated, personalized client communication.

Having maintained a 4.0 GPA and graduating with highest honors, Sugarman was named one of the College’s outstanding graduate finalists. She is transferring to Wellesley College.

“My stock answer to being asked what my ultimate educational and career goals are goes a bit like this: ‘I am seeking a Ph.D. in theoretical physics and a tenured research professor position at a university.’ But this answer is a partial truth. My ultimate educational, career and lifestyle goals are all the same: to continuously learn. Learning, to me, is not simply the acquisition of knowledge, but also taking meaningful action informed by acquired knowledge. I will learn absolutely everything I can, and as a result, continuously take action to improve myself as a student, scientist and human being. That is my ultimate goal.”

Sugarman made the most of her time at COD and knows it was far more than a means to an end.

“Thank you, College of DuPage, for giving me a real chance to live my dream,” she said. “I cannot wait to write my next chapters.”

Learn more about the Physics program at College of DuPage