Emory & Henry College: Joel Font

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Joel Font

Mathematics major
Hometown: Evansport, OH

Joel Font embodies the college experience. A mathematics and education major from the small town of Evansport, Ohio, Joel seldom sees an opportunity for involvement that he doesn't take.

The list of Joel's activities is impressive: cross country, concert choir, student government, winter forum, Blue & Gold society, student research, Campus Christian Fellowship and more.

Joel's student research, which he picked up as a side interest, could turn into something impressive. He's examining the Fibonacci numbers and how they relate to Lucas numbers. Fibonacci numbers are the numbers generated by adding zero and one and then adding the result to the previous number. Lucas numbers are generated the same way, but start with the addition of one and three.

He would like to do an intensive summer research project examining the Fibonacci numbers and where they are going. According to Joel, the results could be useful for codebreaking. "Most unbreakable computer codes are based on prime numbers, and finding a way to get prime numbers quickly could render those codes vulnerable," Joel said.

Although he's making the best of the traditional college experience, Joel's journey to Emory & Henry was anything but traditional. Homeschooled his entire life, Joel graduated from high school at 17 and began to work. After three years, he decided to go to college.

Loren Pope's book, Colleges That Change Lives, was one of Joel's resources for selecting colleges, and Joel liked what he saw in the book about Emory & Henry. After setting foot on campus, Joel's good feeling about the college was confirmed. "I feel like I really hit the jackpot with Emory & Henry," said Joel.

Since he had taken a break between high school and college, Joel worried that he might be behind his peers. Also, being homeschooled, he had concerns that he might not have focused enough on certain areas in his education. Any fears he had were quickly removed when Joel met his professors.

"If I'm having trouble with anything, I just talk to my professors," Joel said. "They're more than willing to spend extra time with me outside of class." In fact, Joel has learned much from professors outside of his major that he may never even have in class.

After graduating, Joel plans to either attend graduate school in mathematics or work in a program like Teach for America, where student loans are paid back for teachers working in at-risk schools around the country.