Over the last two years, I have had the opportunity to take many honors classes. These classes have always allowed me to challenge my way of thinking in some way. I have primarily taken math and science honors classes because those are the subjects that I really enjoy being challenged in. I also took a honors business ethics class for fun my first semester at Penn State because it was a one credit seminar course being taught by a guest lecturer from The University of Kent in England. I thought it was a great opportunity to learn something outside of my major. Although all of my honors courses have been very interesting my favorite honors course to this day is honors engineering design 100. I will admit that I wrote about this class last year as well, and I thought that by this time I might have experienced a better honors course, but it remains my favorite honors course.
ESGDN 100 is the reason I have continued to pursue engineering in college. The projects we completed in our class taught me a great deal about what engineering is truly about. Every project addressed a unique problem. We did everything from building a column of tape to designing carbon dioxide sensors, and even creating shoes to walk on water. Each project showed me how to successfully take an idea and bring it to fruition. I learned a great deal about working in teams and how to deal with group conflict in a positive way. It was the perfect introduction to what my future as an engineer will look like.
The class also showed me why I love engineering. Engineering isn’t just about the numbers and the figures, it’s about being able to communicate your ideas to other people successfully. It’s about being able to work with other people even when the odds are stacked against you. Engineering is a career that requires a lot of teamwork and if you can’t deal with people at their lowest, you are going to have a very hard time being able to accomplish anything. I love this aspect of engineering. I enjoy working with others to be able to create a difference in the lives of others. The more I go through my classes the more passionate I’ve become about becoming an engineer. I can’t wait to wake up everyday knowing I have the chance to do experience a new challenge everyday. All this passion and realization for my love of problem solving started with one of my first honors classes at Penn State, EDSGN 100H with Matt Parkinson.