Faces of DePauw

Wisdom and Probability

Growing up in Brooklyn, Elisha Amadasu ’26 identified his intellectual passion at a young age. “Math has always been something I’ve been interested in,” he says. “I used to think about calculus on my way home from school. I was actively daydreaming about math all the time.”

After finding his way to DePauw as a Posse scholar, Amadasu discovered that he could capitalize on his love of mathematics by pursuing a major in actuarial science. As the study of risk assessment and management, actuarial science is a high-demand discipline traditionally applied to industries such as insurance and finance. Amadasu, however, is exploring a less conventional application: the game of chess.

“My interest in chess started in the fifth grade,” Amadasu recalls, explaining that the intersection of chess and math continues to be a source of endless fascination for him. “In any given game, I am using my experience and intuition to decide what moves I should play next. I look at my options and think about the probabilities. What gives me the best potential? It’s a very methodical process.”

Amadasu realizes that the benefits to this way of thinking extend far beyond the chessboard. “In chess, you have to look into the future to gauge whether what you are doing in the moment is good or bad. You often have limited time, and if you get distracted by irrelevant things, you become lost. Decision-making in other parts of life is the same. You have to focus on the most relevant information. Calculation is the key component.”

Animated by his own personal faith – and informed by his experience as a Hillman intern at the Prindle Institute for Ethics – Amadasu is as intrigued by these questions of wisdom, discernment and morality as much as he is by the movements of pawns, bishops and knights. He thinks deeply about what it means to live with purpose.

“A lot of people play chess to win,” he observes. “But I think it’s about a lot more than that. It’s about honoring the objective principles – such as space, time and activity – rather than worrying about the relative question of whether or not I am winning.”

The same is true in life, he argues. “Life is not just about the consequences and how you perform. It’s about the structure and you live it.”

Major: Actuarial science
Hometown: Brooklyn, New York
Campus Involvement: Honor Scholar, DeChess Club, Wisdom of the Ages
Internships/Winter Terms: Hillman Internship