More Than a Band

For Jaidon Lowman ’23, space and the band Queen are some of the most interesting things in life. Surprisingly, these two things are connected.

Everybody has been inspired by something at some point in their life. Whether it be a parent or a book that you love or a friend, everyone has that something. For Jaidon Lowman ’23, that thing is the band Queen.
“I started listening to Queen as like a baby, baby.” Lowman says. “So I grew up listening to them.”
When asked what they wanted to be when they grew up, Lowman answered that they plan to become either an astrophysicist, neurologist, or a neurosurgeon. “Mostly an astrophysicist. Seems more predictable, because I know more about space than I do about the brain.” The reason that they want to be an astrophysicist is because of a member of their favorite band. The one the only, Brian May.
“You’ve probably heard of him, he’s from Queen.” Lowman elaborates. Lowman said that Brian May has been a huge influence on their life ever since they first heard about him when they were 10. “When I first found out about Brian May, I thought he was just that one old guitarist. No, he’s an astrophysicist. Like, wow! He’s smart, and a legend!”

After that they started researching him more and found out that they were really interested in becoming an astrophysicist. Lowman said that before this, they looked up more to Neil deGrasse Tyson, another American astrophysicist. After learning more about Queen and Brian May, their ideas have changed.
“[Now] I look more up to Brian May because I’m a musician, myself. And I like space just like him. And it’s one of my dreams to work for NASA. He works for NASA. He even made a song for NASA. Nothing can get better than that.”
To help achieve this goal of becoming an astrophysicist, Lowman is a member of the robotics club here at west. They also plan to get straight A’s so they can get into a good college. I talked to one of their good friends Zach Barton ’23 about their complex plans for their future. “I have confidence in them.” Barton said. He says that he thinks that by the time they’re done in high school, they will be ready for the long process of college. Lowman says that they want to go to UCLA or a Florida university. UCLA has a really good astrophysics program, but all of their family has gone to Florida. Either way, it’s a lot of college and a lot of homework and late hours.
“There’s so many things you have to go into to become an astrophysicist, like, four years of normal college, then you get your bachelors degree in science, then space. It’s like a 9 year process of college.” Even though the future looks like it will be a challenge, Lowman is up to it.
As some last parting words, Lowman gives some advice on life. “If you want to work at MacDonald’s, then work at MacDonald’s. It’s life! Challenge yourself.” And while working at MacDonald’s might not be a challenge, Jaidon Lowman is ready for the challenge that achieving their goal will present.