Major: chemical and biological engineering
Post-graduation plans: several听years in industry followed by pursuing a PhD
The Academic Engagement听Award recognizes听undergraduate students engaged with academics to an extent that elevates their own and/or others鈥� learning experiences. The Wellness Award recognizes听undergraduate students who cultivate and promote individual and community health and wellness.
What is your favorite memory from your time at CU Boulder?
I've been very fortunate to have many听good memories from my time at CU. One of my favorites was when I recently went to California with friends for a research conference, which was super fun. We hiked up to Griffith Obseratory, touched jellyfish听and had great food. Another core memory was freshman year听when my dorm floor and I threw a very-masked-and-very-far-away-from-each-other celebration when we made it past the date we thought CU would have gone remote due to COVID. Our guess was we'd last a month, and we were pleasantly surprised when school went longer!听Others favorite memories听include seeing ESPN and the Pat Mcafee Show descend upon the Business Field last semester 鈥� this included skipping class... but, I mean, the ROCK was there 鈥斕齛nd getting to pet therapy puppies all over campus with my friends. There's many more memories I could mention.
What accomplishment are you most proud of, either academically or personally?
I am most proud of the work I've done as a course assistant (CA)/recitaiton leader. It means so much to have another person trust you enough to ask for help, whether it be a class concept or听dealing with loneliness. These moments can be raw and vulnerable, and I've been priveleged to have been a part of so many student's lives as a CA, to experience these moments and to try and work with another person on getting through to a solution. It's really rewarding to positively impact someone.听听I had听a student in my first-ever general chemistry recitation I taught as a sophomore, and when I ran into them my senior year, they remembered me听and expressed gratitude for the energy I tried to bring to classes. It was such a touching moment; the moments I value听most were my听interactions with others.听
Tell us about a moment (or moments) when you felt like you hit your stride or felt like you were 鈥渙fficially鈥� an engineer.
My research makes me feel like an engineer every day, both the actual work I do and the times when something I do actually works. I perform research on a droplet microfluidics project, and I conduct A LOT of experiments. This year, I've been听the only student conducting听those experiments in the lab, requiring extensive听back-end "engineering work" to gather听data. I remember when I had to design a new channel insert for my flow cell. I read a bunch of research papers, taught myself CAD, learned how to (somewhat) use calipers and resin-printed a bunch of prototypes. When I finally held my fourth iteration 鈥� the first well-designed version of听 the part that actually worked,听I'd never felt more like an engineer!
What was the biggest challenge for you during your engineering education? What did you learn from it?
My biggest challenge was making it through the first semester of sophomore year.听 I was prone to missing classes and was falling behind on both schoolwork and social events. Looking back, it was honestly such an accomplishment that I was able to complete听school during that semester. I learned about the value of asking for support from friends, who were a huge help to me and for whom I'm very thankful for. I also learned a lot about resiliency听and how pushing yourself to stand tall against obstacles can change the way you react to and view the world. Resilency has been an especially important lesson for me throughout the rest of my engineering journey.
What is your biggest piece of advice for incoming engineering students?
Be kind to yourself! The fact that you're in school speaks loads about you and is such an accomplishment. In my experience, people tend to notice what a person's mindset is and how they treat others much more than "intelligence."听That's really important, especially when it comes to how you view and treat yourself. Try new things. Take breaks and eat/sleep. Beating yourself up about things like test scores or missed opportunities isn't healthy, and听it can actually become a destructive cycle. Engineering a better life for others starts with engineering a kind and nurturing life for yourself, because you are important, and you are enough :)