Hometown: Hortonville, Wisconsin
Why did you decide to go to the University of Wisconsin?
Coming from a small rural town, the big city was always intriguing to me and was an adventure whenever my family and I would go on a trip to a large city like Chicago or the twin cities. Knowing I would not be bringing my vehicle to college for financial reasons, I wanted a campus that had everything you could ever need within walking or biking distance. Madison is the very definition of a city that has everything. From food to concerts, you can find it all. And if you need to go shopping, hop on a bus and head to the Hilldale shopping mall. If I wanted to still get a taste of home, I can easily find some nature at a park or go for a 20 min drive outside of the Madison area to find a barn and cornfield. I love how Madison is just like the Fox Valley, but consolidated in one beautiful area that still gets to experience all four seasons. All the engineering schools around Wisconsin and neighboring states are good but UW Madison is the best for me.
What are you interested in studying?
My declared major for the University of Wisconsin-Madison is Mechanical Engineering. This field of engineering provides a very wide range of post-secondary education opportunities that allows me to start a career in the field of industrial equipment design and production. ME is also such a diverse field ranging from many management and inspection positions to areas of new design and development. I have seen through my first semester here at UW Madison that they press not only the importance of technical skills but also the soft skills that will allow one to best work with other people. The engineering department has a very impactful way of teaching the future engineers of the world how to best solve the problems of the world.
In your short time on campus, what is one key thing you have learned?
Deadlines and timestamps are never optional. If you are late to turn in an assignment or late to an event, you will most likely lose the opportunity. Always be early because it prevents unneeded stress and the possible outcome of not getting a grade or participating in an activity. I learned it’s best to be early with anything you can just simply be more at peace with all the deadlines and constant timestamps that fly past us every day.
Any big surprises about college life that you did not anticipate?
I honestly didn’t anticipate the amount of leisure time a student can have if they put in the work to do well in classes during that scheduled time. If a student chooses to be persistent in their scheduling and keep up with their schoolwork there is a lot of time that can be used to either de-stress doing activities that one loves, or they can participate in other clubs and organizations to better themselves socially or academically. There is time to enjoy the experiences with friends and classmates to grow together in life.
Any words to those who support the WAA: Fox Valley Chapter?
I would like to say thank you so much, helping me financially makes the opportunities at UW Madison possible. Without people like you and your generous donations to help students attend UW Madison and other great institutions many students would not have had the opportunities to grow and develop in their education to become the best they can be.