What makes you a Difference Maker?
I believe what makes me a Difference Maker is the initiative I take to strive towards success for both myself and my campus community. I’m an innovative leader who is dedicated to my commitments, always putting in my best effort. I naturally gravitate towards positions of leadership, and I feel that I’ve gained extensive experience on building my leadership skills. As a student in the classroom, I aim to work above and beyond what’s expected of me. Outside of the classroom, I reach out to students to help improve their educational endeavors. This includes my work as a teaching and laboratory assistant in the Introduction to Engineering and Computers course, and my efforts in tutoring my peers. Whether it be updating lab handouts for students to make the lab session run smoother, or working one on one explaining concept material to a student, I enjoy reaching out and being able to make education just as enjoyable to my peers as it is to me. It’s rewarding to work with my peers and be able to give back to students pursuing a similar career, knowing that previous students did the same when I took the course.
Highlight your campus achievements:
My campus achievements include having received the Maize and Blue Scholarship, Henry Patton Scholarship IV, General Merit Scholarship, and the Slosberg and Sorscher Memorial Scholarship. I’ve maintained a high GPA and am a Dean's List student. Furthermore, I was invited to meet with Dean England and scholarship donors to have the opportunity to discuss the positive impact of scholarships on the engineering students, and to express our appreciation for their donations. This was a great opportunity to gain insight on the importance of campus involvement. I’ve also had the honor of being selected as the Honor's Scholar recipient for computer engineering.
Highlight your leadership experiences both on and off campus:
At the start of my junior year, I was offered a position as a teaching and laboratory assistant for the Associate Dean, Dr. Kridli, and it was both an honor and privilege to be able to work one on one with his students. Given the fact that I’d taken the Introduction to Engineering and Computers course, I was able to give the current students who were taking the course valuable advice, and tailor my laboratory sections to better fit their needs. Aside from my work as a teaching assistant, I had the opportunity to work on an interdisciplinary project with Dr. Kridli, where even though my major is computer engineering, my work was more mechanical engineering based. I also had hands on experience with managing and maintaining the Rapid Prototyping Lab for 3D-printing the designs for students in both the engineering and math departments. These opportunities allowed me to interpret a design from different perspectives, which extends even beyond the engineering process, to further enhance my perception of various interpretations in general. By doing so, my leadership skills improved in the sense that I developed a greater appreciation for diversity in creativity, and in turn, helped me become a more well-rounded engineer. Acquiring this skill is essential when trying to either culminate the ideas of colleagues working towards a common goal, or even in simply understanding the needs of a peer/student when tutoring them on course material. Dr. Kridli has been a great mentor in constantly encouraging me to try new things, and has provided me with the opportunities to put leadership into practice.
During the ABET reviews, I was selected as an ambassador to give my input on the college to the evaluators, and give the reviewers insight into our campus community. Being able to express the community feel on campus, and the achievements students have made to the accreditation board, was another way I was able to give back to the university.
What is your dream career and/or long term life goal?
My dream career is to work as an engineer in the automotive industry. I’ve always been highly interested in engineering and innovation—especially since I was born and raised in Dearborn, Michigan. I grew up with the appreciation of the automotive industry, and have seen it transform from the fundamentals of transportation, to enhancing beyond this scope to include the features that highlight user experience and ergonomics; it’s the attention to these details that will drive us to the future of technology. My interest is in working with autonomous vehicles, as I see that as great potential for innovation; it implements both of the concepts I’ve learned at UM-Dearborn, and my creative approach to design solutions. I also plan to continue my education for my master's in computer engineering at UM-Dearborn, as engineering is a field of rapid change, and lifelong learning is essential. From a very young age, my mother instilled in me an admiration and determination for education. I plan to continue broadening my expanse of knowledge, to help me better service my community and work in my field.
What was your most defining moment at UM-Dearborn?
My most defining moment at UM-Dearborn was when I was offered the position to work with Dr. Kridli. It’s had a great impact on me because I was able to simultaneously hold the status of a student and a leader, and in turn, combine these two to be able to enhance the learning experience for my peers. Seeing my students succeed is very rewarding. Moreover, taking their suggestions into consideration, and communicating them to faculty is also fulfilling, as my goal is to make the learning process smooth. This position has opened many doors for me as well. I delved into hands on experience, and projects that I would not typically have engaged in for my major. The opportunities have made me more well-rounded in engineering in general, and I’ve taken the skills that I’ve learned from these experiences and have incorporated them into the necessary means of approaching my career.