Not only is Illinois one of the best schools in the country, they truly invest in the education of their students. My education is supported with generous scholarships for example. There are so many resources, opportunities and connections to find just by being a student of this supportive campus community, it's overwhelming!

So far my favourite experience at Illinois has been taking classes with my friends. The first class I took at Illinois for my major, MSE 182 (Intro to Materials), was a blast because my professor was incredibly engaging, the topics were interesting, and I had quite an army of fellow MATSEs to help me tackle homework problems, quizzes, etc. I think the teamwork experience I had in this class was my first taste of what being an engineer will be like and I can't wait!

The best part about being an engineering student at Illinois is all the resources and people available to help. In my major especially, it feels like I have a family that can help me pursue my goals while having fun!

I joined EA because I am passionate about education for all people. No matter what your background is, getting an education is the single most important thing you can do to better yourself. As a minority myself, I believe it is important to reach out to historically undeserved or even rural populations and get them excited about pursing careers in STEM. I really want to change the misconception that engineering is only for certain kinds of people. Not only do careers in STEM stabilize a person financially, they give one an opportunity to challenge oneself and impact society in amazing ways everyday.

The best advice I can give someone is to always look for opportunities and resources. Never struggle in silence, because there are so many people who have been where you have and are ready to provide support. This field may be tough but it is definitely worth it.

The material class I am most interested in are bio-materials. I would like to continue my education in graduate school in a field like biomedical engineering.