Cumulative Reflection
I believe great achievements take great strides; above all, Iowa State has shown me how to take these strides through teaching me skills on how to study my best for an exam, providing me with experiences to become a leader in many clubs across campus, or even opportunities to truly find what I’m passionate about. These skills can be directly related to significant skills to have in any engineering profession. It’s important for me to learn on-the-job assignments most efficiently, understand management obligations, and become passionate about my work. The countless hours I’ve spent in lab or doing homework will never be lost; these hours have been a step preparation for technical skill success in an engineering profession. I believe Iowa State has prepared me well for the engineering workforce.
As I look back on my fundamental classes, I come to realize how important they have been to my academic career. Courses such as trigonometry or introduction to circuits class has prepared me for critical thinking and the methods of solving technical problems in my upper level courses. I’ve grown to understand the importance of seeking help where help is needed and when to really try to sit down and develop a solution on my own. If I do have questions about a particular subject, I have found multiple online sources, IEEE journals, and in class professors to be of help. Fortunately, I have organized notes from previous courses. If I happen to forget a topic covered in a previous course, I am able to go back and quickly scan notes to get a refresher and continue the original problem. One course that reassured me in my choice to become an electrical engineer was my electronic circuits and systems class. The hands-on experience with the breadboard and oscilloscopes, taking measurements, and actually DOING something with the data found was a joy for me. This course peaked my interested in designing circuits and layouts, which led me to interests in VLSI analog and digital design. Progressing through my coursework, I have formed a solid method of technical thinking and am excited to use that thought process in my future career.
Through learning activities outside of the classroom and during internship experience, I have most definitely realized the importance of lifelong learning. At my internship with IBM, I work with people of all ages. When I look at folks that are much older than me that I work with, it is so interesting to hear what types of changes they have gone through in all of the modifications in tech over the past couple decades. They are proof of the importance of how change is key and it’s never good enough to have something that “just works”. Changes need to be innovative and inspiring, and that is what I believe is key in demonstrating lifelong learning. I love to learn, it is one of my top strengths. I believe learning why I enjoy what I do so much because I know that the technical world is going to be forever growing and changing and it’s important to keep up or stay ahead with the latest and greatest trends and technologies.
I have been involved in many group projects throughout my time at Iowa State and during my internship with IBM. Iowa State is primarily where I began to develop teamwork skills and the importance of working together with others to accomplish a certain task. I have found that I enjoy being a leader when I work in groups, and I have learned important leadership skills along the way, such as delegating work, how to focus on a person’s strength, how to avoid micromanaging, and how to get input from others. In addition, I have had the opportunity to take workshops and learn new abilities on how to work with a diverse workforce like I do at IBM. Although Iowa State has taught me a plethora of teamwork skills, my internship experiences have put those skills to the test. When you work with a team from all over the world, in different time zones, with vast skills, and with a demanding project deadline, you have to adjust to the environment and do your best to avoid others being “gated” by your work. I have most definitely enjoyed my team experiences at IBM, and it’s been a great impact on me as an individual in understanding cultural differences and how to work with people’s knowledge and skills.
My experience at Iowa State wouldn’t be the same without my extra-curricular activities. I have held leadership roles in all of the organizations I have been involved in. To name a few, Women in Science and Engineering (WiSE), IT Olympics, College of Engineering Career Fair, and Digital Women. As a mentor to over 50 undergraduate women in WiSE, I have had the opportunity to impact these women in their current STEM major. I was able to teach professional development, career and self-exploration, and expansion of leadership skills. Here, I practiced my professional communication skills. My role as public relations chair for Digital Women has put me in contact with industry professionals around the world. I act as a liaison during student and employer interaction. I have enjoyed growing my network both professionally and socially through these outside of classroom experiences. For more information about my extra-curriculars, please see tab labeled “Leadership & Outreach Experience”
If I were able to redo my time as an undergraduate at Iowa State, I would make a few minor changes. As a freshman coming into college, I didn’t know what “programming” consisted of, much less a “function”. Once I took a computer science class, I was instantly confused and didn’t enjoy it all, mostly because it was so unfamiliar to me. I believe it would have been extremely beneficial to begin simple coding exercises instead of avoiding it like I did for a very long time. Programming is an important skill to have, even as an electrical engineer. In addition, I wish I knew the importance of networking early on. As a student, you’re always pushed to “network, network, network”, and I came to find a full-time position because of networking. I have been better about asking for people’s business cards and keeping in touch, but I wish that I had started to do these things earlier on to have an even larger network. I would also have liked to join more recreational clubs instead of professionally driven organizations. Clubs like glass blowing or paintballing fun for me to try to find what I enjoy as a hobby.
Overall, my experience at Iowa State has been phenomenal. I gave this experience my all, and I hope all graduating seniors can say the same. There is no other college I would have rather attended to complete my undergraduate engineering degree.
As I look back on my fundamental classes, I come to realize how important they have been to my academic career. Courses such as trigonometry or introduction to circuits class has prepared me for critical thinking and the methods of solving technical problems in my upper level courses. I’ve grown to understand the importance of seeking help where help is needed and when to really try to sit down and develop a solution on my own. If I do have questions about a particular subject, I have found multiple online sources, IEEE journals, and in class professors to be of help. Fortunately, I have organized notes from previous courses. If I happen to forget a topic covered in a previous course, I am able to go back and quickly scan notes to get a refresher and continue the original problem. One course that reassured me in my choice to become an electrical engineer was my electronic circuits and systems class. The hands-on experience with the breadboard and oscilloscopes, taking measurements, and actually DOING something with the data found was a joy for me. This course peaked my interested in designing circuits and layouts, which led me to interests in VLSI analog and digital design. Progressing through my coursework, I have formed a solid method of technical thinking and am excited to use that thought process in my future career.
Through learning activities outside of the classroom and during internship experience, I have most definitely realized the importance of lifelong learning. At my internship with IBM, I work with people of all ages. When I look at folks that are much older than me that I work with, it is so interesting to hear what types of changes they have gone through in all of the modifications in tech over the past couple decades. They are proof of the importance of how change is key and it’s never good enough to have something that “just works”. Changes need to be innovative and inspiring, and that is what I believe is key in demonstrating lifelong learning. I love to learn, it is one of my top strengths. I believe learning why I enjoy what I do so much because I know that the technical world is going to be forever growing and changing and it’s important to keep up or stay ahead with the latest and greatest trends and technologies.
I have been involved in many group projects throughout my time at Iowa State and during my internship with IBM. Iowa State is primarily where I began to develop teamwork skills and the importance of working together with others to accomplish a certain task. I have found that I enjoy being a leader when I work in groups, and I have learned important leadership skills along the way, such as delegating work, how to focus on a person’s strength, how to avoid micromanaging, and how to get input from others. In addition, I have had the opportunity to take workshops and learn new abilities on how to work with a diverse workforce like I do at IBM. Although Iowa State has taught me a plethora of teamwork skills, my internship experiences have put those skills to the test. When you work with a team from all over the world, in different time zones, with vast skills, and with a demanding project deadline, you have to adjust to the environment and do your best to avoid others being “gated” by your work. I have most definitely enjoyed my team experiences at IBM, and it’s been a great impact on me as an individual in understanding cultural differences and how to work with people’s knowledge and skills.
My experience at Iowa State wouldn’t be the same without my extra-curricular activities. I have held leadership roles in all of the organizations I have been involved in. To name a few, Women in Science and Engineering (WiSE), IT Olympics, College of Engineering Career Fair, and Digital Women. As a mentor to over 50 undergraduate women in WiSE, I have had the opportunity to impact these women in their current STEM major. I was able to teach professional development, career and self-exploration, and expansion of leadership skills. Here, I practiced my professional communication skills. My role as public relations chair for Digital Women has put me in contact with industry professionals around the world. I act as a liaison during student and employer interaction. I have enjoyed growing my network both professionally and socially through these outside of classroom experiences. For more information about my extra-curriculars, please see tab labeled “Leadership & Outreach Experience”
If I were able to redo my time as an undergraduate at Iowa State, I would make a few minor changes. As a freshman coming into college, I didn’t know what “programming” consisted of, much less a “function”. Once I took a computer science class, I was instantly confused and didn’t enjoy it all, mostly because it was so unfamiliar to me. I believe it would have been extremely beneficial to begin simple coding exercises instead of avoiding it like I did for a very long time. Programming is an important skill to have, even as an electrical engineer. In addition, I wish I knew the importance of networking early on. As a student, you’re always pushed to “network, network, network”, and I came to find a full-time position because of networking. I have been better about asking for people’s business cards and keeping in touch, but I wish that I had started to do these things earlier on to have an even larger network. I would also have liked to join more recreational clubs instead of professionally driven organizations. Clubs like glass blowing or paintballing fun for me to try to find what I enjoy as a hobby.
Overall, my experience at Iowa State has been phenomenal. I gave this experience my all, and I hope all graduating seniors can say the same. There is no other college I would have rather attended to complete my undergraduate engineering degree.