When I turned in my last undergraduate exam more than 4 years ago, I ran from the room filled with ecstatic energy. Finally free from studying and textbooks, I eagerly looked forward to the next challenge: professional life. I never thought I would return to grad school (and especially not to pursue electrical engineering.) Yet, here I am.
A combination of personal and professional challenges over the past 4 years helped change my mindset and my attitude towards graduate studies.
At the start of my undergraduate journey, I lacked the proper attitude to succeed as an engineering student. I expected to flunk out and become a film major. As a freshman, I lacked the motivation to study because I lacked an internal purpose. External forces compelled me to apply to college as an engineer and I struggled to figure out where I fit within the engineering department. Unlike many of my peers with concrete dreams of working on rockets or cars, I felt deprived of purpose without a professional goal to anchor my actions. In free fall, I tried “everything” (except studying 😉 to try and figure out where I belonged.
Yet, once the journey began, I discovered I loved engineering applications — in particular 3D printing and robotics. The classes were still challenging, but I started to believe the ends justified the means and I ultimately developed a new and improved perspective that pushed me through the hard times. With a new motivation, I set out to make the most of my remaining time in college working towards my B.S. in mechanical engineering. Though I considered immediately entering graduate school, I was tired of studying and wanted to enter the workforce.
You may have to fight a battle more than once to win it.
Margaret Thatcher
Now, I am free falling again. In the middle of an international pandemic, I quit my job to pursue graduate school. With so much uncertainty in the world, I am thankful that I can progress, grow, and learn. (I feel quite privileged to have emerged from 2020 relatively unscathed and still have the resources to dedicate myself to my studies.) I decided to pursue an M.S. in electrical engineering to become the best mechatronics engineer I can be. Through a combination of personal and professional experiences I am convinced that this is the right path for me to travel. The road ahead will not be easy, but I hope to gain new knowledge, skills, and perspectives that will help me make the world around me just a little bit better.
Life isn’t about finding yourself. Life is about creating yourself.
George Bernard Shaw
Let the adventure begin. I can’t wait to see what new creations lie ahead. Fiat Lux.