Other extracurricular activities:
Secretary of SWE

Research/Internship/Co-op experience:
Operations Intern for Baxter Summer 2018

Why Illinois? Illinois offered a feeling of community that was not as obvious at other schools. Every student during my campus visits was warm and friendly and excited about their program. The Bioengineering program seemed to offer a unique experience that I could use to tailor to my interests or explore others. Which I did! At the start of my freshman year I was convinced I was going to go on to grad school and get my PhD in therapeutics. Now I have completely switched to wanting to work in the Medical Device industry.

What has been your best experience at Illinois?
Working on a 'growing' prosthetic with my Engineering Open House team allowed me to build skills outside of class and get a better idea of what it might be like to be a real engineer.

Favorite part about being an engineering student?
There are so many resources available to us as engineering students. This is the best place to be to jump into designing something with your friends because so much of the software is free and there are labs dedicated to 3D printing or working on independent ECE projects.

Why did you join EA?
I joined EA because I believe that everyone should have the opportunity to explore engineering. I wanted to encourage people who might think they are not good enough or not smart enough to be an engineer to get excited about science and design.

What advice would you give to someone interested in pursuing a STEM degree?
Don't wait to explore. If you are interested in making something, research how you might start to build it. You're not going to build it right, but you're going to learn how to keep improving on your skills until you finally get something that works! College is a great place to learn, but it's not the only place where design lives. If you take the time to find what interests you, you will be able to more easily recognize opportunities that will help you towards your goal.

What do you plan on doing post-graduation?
I plan on entering the Baxter Operations Development Program.