2022-2023
Cincinnati at Dark from a Riverboat
This year has given me many opportunities to reflect on my goals and experiences. Through these experiences, I have been able to grow both personally and professionally. I have made changes, both small and large, that continue to help set myself up for success. I crafted these changes both in my personal and professional life. I plan to continue crafting myself with a focus on learning and professional experience, while balancing my personal and professional life.
One of the ways I have personally grown is taking a calmer attitude when addressing issues. While confronted with many challenges and requirements in a variety of areas, it could often be challenging to focus on just one issue. This could lead to being overwhelmed with the number of issues currently present. I have attempted to change this attitude by focusing on the most pressing issues first. By prioritizing and solving larger problems early, I can focus my attention on single issues at a time and find the best solution to that problem. With this adapted problem-solving framework, I can efficiently address problems without jumping between issues. I built this method by keeping a list of my responsibilities as they grew. I sorted these issues by subject and priority, both in time and complexity. While continuing this growth into my career and future, I plan to continue this method to prioritize solving engineering challenges and personal issues. I will work with those around me to focus on solving problems as they arise, rather than focusing on the presence and stress of the problems themselves.
I have also grown by taking time to improve my mental and physical well-being. My focus has been to improve the balance between my work and personal time. This has allowed me to take time to relax and improve my happiness. Additionally, I am more recharged to be able to jump back into my work efficiently when it is time to do so. I recognized that I often overschedule myself, so I took opportunities to evaluate my wants and needs to focus on what is most important to my goals.
Finally, I have reflected heavily on my goals and plan. I evaluated where I wanted to take my career and what steps I needed to take to get there. I utilized advisors and colleagues at my co-op and beyond to see what I need to accomplish to achieve my career goals. With that, I decided to pursue my Master’s degree in electrical engineering. I will continue to evaluate as I progress in my career to ensure that I am achieving my goals and that my goals are still relevant to my plan.
As I continue into next year, I plan to continue the strategies I have put into place to manage my responsibilities effectively to produce great results with limited tradeoffs. I plan to continue to surround myself with those that help me achieve, and those who I can help as well.
year-in-review
A Summary of My Year
2021 - 2022
One of the two houses I worked on while on a trip with the University of Cincinnati Chapter of Engineers Without Borders in South Carolina.
This year I have completed multiple experience, both through honors and elsewhere. Throughout these experiences, I have gained priceless knowledge, experience, and perspectives that will build upon each other to guide me throughout my life and career. The first experience that has greatly affected my academic and professional goals is the Protégé Research Program with the University of Cincinnati MIND Lab. I have also had great experience with the Bearcat Solar Car Team and Engineers Without Borders, which have also shaped my goals and trajectory. Most of all, my co-op term with Pole/Zero Corporation has greatly allowed me to shape and goals.
During the Protégé Research Program, I worked with the University of Cincinnati MIND Lab to develop novel hardware security techniques. During the summer Protégé term, I researched genetic circuits and ways to convert an electronic circuit specification into a DNA representation. Throughout the end of Summer 2021 and Fall 2021, I continued to work with the MIND Lab working on a method of creating these DNA representations of hardware circuits. During Spring and Summer 2022, I worked on applying neural networks to identify and detect possibly harmful circuits. This experience has helped me gain useful research and problem-solving skills. With the experience I have earned from this experience, I am more convinced to pursue a Master’s degree at the University of Cincinnati. I have more experience in research, allowing me to have a better ability to take a broad idea and transform it into reality. This experience has also allowed me to expand my technical knowledge and technical writing skills.
I have also continued working with the Bearcat Solar Car team. During the past year, I have worked on the battery and high voltage systems of the car. During this project, I have gained key project management and technical skills. I have enjoyed the system design of the car, allowing me to gain insights into what engineering positions I may enjoy in the future on a team. Electric vehicles have been a passion of mine, and I would enjoy continuing to work on the future of transportation in my technical career.
I worked with the University of Cincinnati Chapter of Engineers Without Borders this year, both on their water projects in Tanzania and on a domestic trip in South Carolina. Working in Tanzania with the team has allowed me to learn about new perspectives and experiences of others. This knowledge has strengthened my goal to work on technologies meant to bring innovative approaches, while making this technology accessible to all.
My most impactful experience professionally and academically has been my co-op term with Pole/Zero Corporation. During my co-op term, I worked on radio frequency engineering for radio filters. I worked on creating tools to design filters, filter testing and obsolete part selection, and product demonstrations. This experience has guided my focus within my engineering discipline, guiding my class selection and knowledge goals.
Next year, I hope to continue to expand my technical expertise while on co-op and further develop me knowledge in radio frequency engineering. Furthermore, I hope to broaden my experience while on co-op to further solidify my specialization choice. Additionally, during my continued research with the MIND Lab, I plan to publish a technical journal article on my research. I also have to goal to continue to develop a solar car with the Bearcat Solar Car Team and race it in the national competition.
2020-2021
A Cincinnati Sunrise
This past year, almost to the day, has been one of the most unexpected years of my life thus far. As most high-schoolers, I had high hopes for end of my senior year of high school and first year of college. I planned to spend the summer traveling and take part in many of the typical first-year experiences. Though this did not happen due to the Coronavirus pandemic, at least not in the way I expected it. With the ever-shifting world this past year, I have been able to take part in experiences that have shaped my academic and professional goals. These include taking part in the Bearcat Solar Car Team, Engineers Without Borders, and Models II CEAS Research
Bearcat Solar Car Team is focused on making a solar car to race in the American Solar Car Challenge. As a part of this team, I have been able to take an active role in all parts of the organization. This has helped me to understand where I enjoy working in an organization. This experience has also opened the doors to many co-op opportunities for me, helping me to achieve one of my top choices for co-op.
Engineers Without Borders has also impacted my professional and academic goals. As a part of the Roche Committee, I took an active role in redesigning the water tower for the community of Roche, Tanzania. This has shaped some of my goals within my career to focus on roles that allow me to have a positive impact on people in need. Engineers Without Borders has also allowed me to connect with other engineers at the University of Cincinnati, allowing me to network and understand their experiences. These have guided my path within my own degree and allowed me to find paths that I would not have found otherwise.
Models II CEAS Research allowed me to build my research experience. This has allowed me to examine my academic plan and its focus. With this experience, I was able to delve into the technical and research aspect of the academic world. This has shaped my goals within the ACCEND program and has further bolstered my decision to pursue a Master of Science degree. This experience has also opened the door for me to take a part in the Protégé program, further allowing me to explore research.
With next year, I hope to further expand my knowledge of research within the Protégé program this summer. Also, I hope to successfully complete my first co-op and build my knowledge within the RF industry. With this experience, I hope to narrow my focus on my chosen career path.