Extracurricular Activities
My extracurricular activities are church and Christian Fellowship Club, mountain hiking, and some art. I have also been on a MECOP internship for a few months now in Portland!
A Little Bit About Me
I grew up poor but was blessed with a childhood out in the woods. It was a mudpie-stick-garden type of life. Each change in my school setting has been a defining moment in my life. Aside from faith, education has always been the biggest part of my life. My favorite areas of study are physics, biology, and technology. Something about understanding how things work and coming up with solutions has always made me happy. For the last few months, I have been hiking all sorts of mountains and standing on sheer faces. I have stood under a few waterfalls and gotten lost in the woods a few times. I’ve also been on a MECOP internship in Portland for a company that makes implants like shoulder and knee replacements. I’ve been doing and learning so much; I am proud of where I’ve come since November.
Why I Chose Oregon Tech and My Major
I chose Oregon Tech after seeing its focus. I wanted a program that would provide lots of hands-on experience and skills that would prepare me for a future job. OIT gives students the upper hand with internships and other opportunities, and has a high staff-to-student ratio. I chose to be an Mechanical Engineer because it opened the door to a wide range of fields to work in, including my areas of interest, such as biomechanics.
My Influential Professors
My influential professors are Jesse Kinder, Rose McClure, and Dr. Deb. Dr. Kinder teaches a great physics course and has a deep passion for the field. He nurtures student curiosity and has a special eagerness to help us explore the natural world. Prof. McClure is an excellent teacher, but she shines most for her tailored care and interest in each student. She always prioritizes our mental health and wellbeing. Her lectures were full of knowledge and engaging. Dr. Deb helped me to understand math better than anyone else before, focusing on the building blocks that lead to larger topics. His teaching is streamlined and elegant.
My Greatest Learning Experience At Oregon Tech
My greatest learning experience has been in my PHY 221-3 classes. Dr. Kinder listened to all my questions and always answered them in a way that exceeded my expectations. The class environment was focused on learning and improving as a student rather than just a grade. In this class, I felt like I was discovering physics like Newton for the first time, rather than being told how everything just “is”. The labs were even more exploratory, where my lab mates and I designed our experiments to prove the theory we were learning.
My Plans After Graduation
After graduating from Oregon Tech, I would like to work for a company focused on the area of biomechanics or bioengineering that creates ways to bring necessary technologies to people in need, such as robotic prosthetics, gene editing, or implants. It would be awesome to take my future engineering to other countries and communities in need and to assist with ongoing missions. My first goal, however, is to provide stability for my future family and to give others an environment that I didn't have growing up.