Aidan Lewis always dreamed of becoming an astronaut yet was undeclared when he came to Colorado State University.

“I have a lot of interests, which is a blessing and a curse,” Lewis said. While he loves science, he was also drawn toward English, foreign languages and philosophy, but eventually chose to pursue neuroscience.

“Neuroscience is a very cool mix; it has a solid science foundation but can also connect with philosophy, spirituality and a variety of other disciplines, so it seemed like a really good path for me – and as Phillip Quirk (director of CSU’s neuroscience major) says, ‘neuroscience is everything.’”

That rang true for Lewis throughout his undergraduate experience, such as when he got to hold a human brain in functional neuroanatomy. “We got to learn about the nitty-gritty of what makes us who we are – and it was surreal to realize I was holding all the experiences of someone’s entire life in my hands.”

Lewis, an Honors student and a recipient of the Willard O. Eddy Legacy Fund Scholarship, grew up in Longmont, Colorado, and attended Silver Creek High School. He went through a challenging time as a teen and didn’t feel proud of who he was until his junior year of high school.

“Something changed for me and I saw my potential as being someone in this world who could do good things,” Lewis said. “So, I took my college experience to fully realize my potential as a student and as a person.”

At CSU, Lewis served as a student ambassador, assisted with the Choose CSU program, and worked as a Resident Assistant.

“I had no idea what I was doing when I first came to college, so I enjoy helping other students find tools to be successful and to pursue what makes them smile,” Lewis said.

“Aidan was a standout student and will be missed,” said Noreen Reist, a professor in the Department of Biomedical Sciences. “He was always 100% engaged with the class material, asked thoughtful questions, was always smiling and had a great sense of humor.”

“Aidan is a modern renaissance man,” said Quirk. “He is not only academically talented, but also an artist, poet and philosopher who is most comfortable existing at the intersection of multiple disciplines – I have no doubt Aidan will be pushing boundaries in the years to come.”

Lewis celebrated his graduation from CSU with a one-way ticket to San Diego where he plans to enjoy the ocean while pondering his next steps.

“So many people at CSU made my college experience wonderful, and I’m really thankful for that,” Lewis said. “I don’t know exactly what’s going to happen next but I know it’s going to be amazing.”