I am currently a Senior in Rail Transportation Engineering (RTE) at Penn State Altoona. I plan on graduating in May 2022, after which I intend to start my job for AECOM as a Rail/Transit Engineer in Mechanicsburg, PA. I was born and raised in Altoona, graduating in 2018 from Altoona Area High School. I played baseball and high school and still enjoy sports and other active hobbies. I originally started college as an AeroSpace Engneering major, but I decided to switch after learning about the RTE program. I didn’t know much about trains or really have an interest/passion for the railroad industry, but the job opportunities I saw were plentiful and paid well.

The courses in the RTE program are primarily civil and railroad specific, with one or two mechanical and electrical focused courses as well. This makes it easy to gain knowledge in civil engineering, while also becoming knowledgeable in the railroad industry. Since switching, I consider it to be the best decision I ever made, and I now appreciate the history of railroads and their importance to the past and the present. As of now, I am in my final classes of my college career, which inlcude a Technical Writing course, US History course, Computer Aided Drafting (CAD) course, Accounting Course, and my Capstone.

Along with my Bachelors Degree in RTE, I will recieve an AutoCAD certificate for taking several classes that included CAD softwares. I plan on taking the Fundamentals of Engineering (FE) exam in February to become an Engineer in Training (EIT), which will test my skills and knowledge of engineering practices. With all of this, I am looking forward to starting my new job and beginning a new part of my life.