Why did you choose to study at WPI?  

I transferred to WPI after freshman year because of its strong reputation for engineering and for its tight-knit, STEM-focused community. WPI is truly a unique university with active students, incredibly knowledgeable faculty, and plenty of opportunities during and after your time here. I love WPI because everyone here is passionate about what they are studying, and students have ample opportunity to work closely with faculty and peers on projects and classwork. 

How are you involved with the WPI community?  

Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) – Club with students who are passionate about electrical and computer engineering. Hosts an annual event called “Spark Party” where we showcase our two musical tesla coils to the rest of campus. We complete a variety of projects throughout the year and host networking events for students. 

High Power Rocketry Club - Large club that competes in an annual rocket competition. We spend most of the academic year designing, testing, and refining the design of the rocket in various teams and sub-teams. Anyone can join with any level of experience. I help with the software side of the rocket. 

Investing Association – Club with excellent opportunities to learn about investing and mentored by professors with experience in finance and fintech. I got involved after I attended a club trip to New York City where we toured financial offices around Wall Street. 
    
Jazz Band - WPI has outstanding music and performing arts programs. There are many music groups – from student to school run – and they regularly put on shows throughout the year. The jazz program at WPI is excellent and there are several different bands you can get involved with, depending on your skill level. 

What’s your favorite thing about WPI?  

The project-based nature of the classes here makes them genuinely fun. You learn through hands-on experience with technology in the industry, which gives you a leg up when interviewing with companies. Classes I’ve taken, like Database Systems and Software Engineering, give you valuable experience with the latest technologies and frameworks in the industry and help you develop soft skills along the way. They’re also a great way to make friends. I’ve met so many incredible, motivated students through project teams in classes. 

Do you have a faculty or staff mentor?  

WPI attracts world-class faculty that are truly passionate about what they teach. In my first term at WPI, I took a class called Making Music with Machines. In the class, we designed and built robots that played acoustic instruments, like drums and whistles. Scott Barton was the professor, and he runs a lab on campus that builds these types of robots. Professor Barton's infectious passion for musical robots made me really enjoy the class. Our final project in the class was building our own musical robot. One group built a violin-playing robot and my group built a drum-playing robot. Professor Barton was incredibly enthusiastic and excited by our projects. I think he is an example of the great faculty that we have at WPI. He was able to link our world-class robotics program with our strong music department through his research lab and musical robotics class. There are so many fascinating classes you can take here where faculty's passions really get to shine through their teaching.  

How has WPI’s project-based learning influenced your education?  

Most classes here are based around completing projects and focused on theory and practice rather than theory alone. Projects are often completed in groups, and you will regularly meet with these groups over the course of the term. When I took Intro to Robotics, my group regularly met in one of the robotics labs on campus outside of class time to complete our weekly projects together. In addition to a final exam, the class had a final project, which was to design, build, and program a robot to play a competitive strategy game.