Second Year

In looking back at the past year, I realize I have grown in so many ways, both professionally and as a person.  I came back to campus in the Fall ready to work hard and learn, and I made it my goal to always prioritize having a positive mindset and clear head.  I developed a routine that worked for me and stuck to it, starting the day with a workout before heading to campus and staying there until all of my work was done for the day.  The Fall was by far my busiest academic semester to date, so I had to learn how to maintain work-life balance and set limits for myself, understanding the value of prioritizing tasks and staying organized. 

 

One of my proudest accomplishments of the Fall 2023 semester was getting the one open Student Trustee position on the University of Cincinnati Foundation Board of Trustees.  My role on the Board is to represent the undergraduate body and offer student perspective on any and all relevant Board meeting topics.  I worked hard to apply and interview for the opportunity, and I was overjoyed to receive the call that the Foundation wanted to offer me the position.  In addition to this, I also stepped into my role as EXPO Chair in CEAS Tribunal.  Planning for the 2024 CEAS EXPO began in the Summer of 2023 and really started to pick up in the Fall semester.  Since this was a new position in the 2023-24 school year, we were working to build it from the ground up.  I gained great experience as one of the EXPO co-Chairs, and I am currently holding the position again for the 2024-25 school year, starting planning for the 2025 CEAS EXPO. 

 

I had my first co-op rotation this past Spring semester 2024, working in Findlay, OH at Marathon Petroleum.  I found this co-op through the UC Technical Career Fair back in March of 2023, so I had been looking forward to it for almost a year once it began.  I was placed on the Integrity Quality Assurance team in the Integrity and Corrosion Engineering Department of Marathon Pipe Line, and I had an absolutely phenomenal experience on co-op!  I learned so much about the oil and gas industry, and Marathon provided many unique opportunities that allowed me to continue to develop my professional, technical, and soft skills.  I was really happy to find that the projects and tasks I worked on during co-op connected to topics I learned in classes at UC in past semesters, as well as this current Summer 2024 semester.  My experience at Marathon reignited my passion and drive for engineering, and I found myself excited to return to classes this summer and learn more about the ideas I had explored during my co-op work.

 

My experience on co-op also influenced my academic goals.  I initially applied for and was accepted into UC’s ACCEND program for an MEng in Materials Science, but as I talked more with Marathon coworkers about their career paths, I realized that my interests align much more with an MBA.  After much thought and advice, I decided that I would pursue my MBA after I finish undergrad and switch the ACCEND MEng for two minors in Mathematics and Business Spanish.  I’ve always loved math, and I hope to have the opportunity to travel/work abroad in the future, so I felt that these two minors were a great combination of my interests and goals, as was the MBA.

 

My second year of college was filled with so many fun memories, such as building the CEAS Tribunal float and walking in the Homecoming Parade in the Fall, attending the Engineer’s Week Banquet in the Spring, running another half marathon, and more.  I forged meaningful relationships with so many great people, and I’m truly looking forward to maximizing the opportunities that UC has to offer in my next three years of college.