What if you needed a career change?

We all need communities to rely on, professionally and personally. A sense of belonging, of fitting in with your colleagues, can make you more effective in your work and reinforce your sense of self.

But what if you realized the career you’d chosen wasn't right for you? If the professional community you'd built no longer felt like home, would you know how to choose a new path?

It happened to Michelle Lollie. Since high school, Lollie’s objective had been very straightforward: to make waves as a Wall Street investment banker. After a bachelor’s degree in finance, then five years in the retail banking industry, she realized that something felt…off. At the age of 28, Lollie received her bolt from the blue: she happened across a paper on quantum teleportation, and a light went on. Quantum science, she knew at last, was her true life’s calling.

To help her transition from a second bachelor’s degree (this time in physics) to grad school, Lollie turned to the APS Bridge Program, which creates pathways to physics graduate programs for students from all backgrounds, ensuring everyone has the opportunity to pursue advanced physics education. The Bridge Program provided funding for master's degree study at Indiana University Bloomington, and she eventually went on to complete a Ph.D. in Physics at Louisiana State University.

Now in its 11th year, Bridge has placed nearly 450 students at partner physics programs, including some of the most competitive physics programs in the country. The current retention rate for APS Bridge participants is 77%, well above the national average of 50% for physics doctoral programs.

Now an advanced laser scientist at Quantinuum supporting the design, development, and construction of complex optical systems foundational to building world-class quantum computers, Michelle Lollie is not shy about crediting her APS Bridge community and experiences among the many elements that have contributed to her journey.

“I was afforded the opportunity to go to D.C. and speak with Indiana senator Todd Young during a brunch session with constituents on Capitol Hill,” an effort to demonstrate to policymakers the value of the APS Bridge program — and a pivotal professional development opportunity for Lollie.

Bridge is just one of the inclusive physics communities open to all APS members that share a goal of ensuring that our field welcomes newcomers at all career stages and from all backgrounds, then fosters their success — even investment bankers.