Extracurricular Activities
Oregon Tech Rugby team, Oregon Tech SAE Baja team, Oregon Tech Outdoor Program (Trip coordinator and equipment manager)
A Little Bit About Me
I am from a small farming town in Eastern Oregon called Imbler. I graduated valedictorian of my class in 2019. I have worked three summers on a wheat farm where I drove seed truck and combine during harvest. Last year, I worked as a Test Engineer at company in Vancouver. This year I worked at Benchmade Knife Company as a Design Engineer. I like backpacking, hunting, fishing, and riding my dirt bike. I like spending time with my family as I don't get to see them very much while I'm away at school. I work for the Outdoor Program at Oregon Tech where I am the Equipment Manager. I spend a lot of weekends over the winter snowboarding at local ski resorts such as Mt. Shasta, Willamette Pass, and Warner Canyon.
Why I Chose Oregon Tech and My Major
I chose Oregon Tech because I know it is a very good school and I like the "small school" aspect. My dad is a Civil Engineer Tech, and often regrets going to Oregon State instead of Oregon Tech. I did not want to make the same mistake as him. Oregon Tech is a very career focused and professional school, which made me feel like I was getting the most out of my time and money.
My Influential Professors
I have really enjoyed several professors. I think that Sean Sloan is one of my favorite and most influential professors. He's very willing to help you outside of class for any problems you may have. He has had a very interesting engineering career, and is always full of energy, which makes class much more interesting and engaging. He knows his stuff very well. There has never been a thing that Sean Sloan has taught me that didn't make sense. He is very factual and knows exactly how to get the point of the lesson across.
My Greatest Learning Experience At Oregon Tech
I have had many great learning opportunities at Oregon Tech. While it's hard to choose the greatest learning experience, some of my favorites were the machining and welding classes for my Mechanical Engineering degree. These classes were really fascinating and fulfilling for me because I got to learn some very valuable skills in fabrication and machining. The welding class, in fact, helped me get a job at a trailer manufacturer for the summer of 2021 where I worked in the chassis shop building trailer frames.
My Plans After Graduation
After graduating, I plan to work in the industry for several years before starting my own company. For my first MECOP internship, I worked as a Test Engineer for a company in Vancouver, WA, called ConMet. ConMet is in the heavy truck industry, and I found this job to be very interesting and fulfilling. I have always been into cars and trucks, so I hope to work in the automotive industry and help develop the next generation of vehicles, whether that be electric vehicles or hydrogen fuel vehicles. My second MECOP internship was at Benchmade Knife Company, where I worked as a design engineer for new pocket knives and kitchen cutlery.